The Blind Army
by electrons
Summary: Glenn's idyllic life at the prison is disrupted when the Governor returns. Glenn has to use every talent he possesses in order to save himself and his family. As Glenn is forced to make more and more difficult decisions he is confronted with his most difficult choice yet. What kind of man does he want to be? Reviews are loved and appreciated, especially critical ones.
1. Savior

The early morning sun shined its light onto Glenn's skin. The October chill (Glenn was pretty sure it was October, but honestly he had lost track so many times that is was all supposition at this point) raised gooseflesh onto his arms. Glenn stared out of the glass barrier between him and the rest of the world. Next to him lay the sleeping form of his wife. Looking at her made Glenn think about what they had achieved here. Up in the watchtower Glenn had a good view of the prison waking up. People were venturing outside to start their day. The fences let them do that. The fences allowed them to live their lives without constant terror. The fences meant they didn't always have to be looking over their shoulders. Judith was a little over a year old now, and Glenn counted this as one of their greatest achievements. Glenn grinned as he watched Maggie slowly wake up. She grumbled something in her half-awake half-asleep state that Glenn couldn't make out. Glenn leaned over and gently pressed his lips against her own.

Maggie opened her eyes and smiled. "Good morning to you too."

Glenn stared at her. She was perfect. She was so kind, so smart, so brave and so very, very beautiful. "It is. It is a good morning." Glenn allowed himself one more second to soak in her presence before turning back to the glass. They did have a job to do after all.

Maggie casually slipped her hand into his. "What are you thinking about?"

Glenn shrugged. It was hard to explain. "A lot of things."

Glenn felt Maggie lean in and kiss his cheek. "Who's scheduled for the next watch?"

Glenn searched his brain, trying to remember. "Karen and Tyreese I think."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Does everybody just use watch duty as a chance to fool around where nobody can see you? We are supposed to actually be looking for danger you know."

Glenn snickered. "Well look at the pot calling the kettle black."

Maggie gave Glenn a playful shrug. "But we were doing it before everybody else was."

Glenn rolled his eyes. "That makes all the difference."

"I think so," Maggie said. "Anyway, you were supposed to wake me up two hours ago."

This was true. After the first few hours of their shift they alternated two hours off and two on so that they both got to sleep. Glenn had been up four hours now. "I couldn't do it," he said.

"Now I feel like such a slouch," Maggie said. "Especially because I need to leave early."

Glenn looked at her, questions in his eyes. "You okay?"

"I just need to go see my dad," Maggie said casually.

Glenn frowned. "Are you sick?"

"I have to be sick to want to see my dad?"

Glenn knew Maggie too well to fall for such a deflection. "Maggie,"

Maggie smiled at him. She kissed him once more, but this kiss was deeper. Her tongue explored his mouth with enthusiastic passion. When they broke apart both of them were panting and Glenn's face was red. Maggie brushed her fingers through Glenn's hair. "I promise you that I'm okay." Glenn knew that Maggie wouldn't lie to him outright about something like that.

Relieved, Glenn nodded. "Tell Hershel I said hi."

Maggie nodded. "I will."

Glenn watched Maggie make her way into the prison and didn't take his eyes off of her until she was behind its walls. Glenn picked up his binoculars and scanned the trees. There were more walkers at the fence than usual. Glenn saw a flash of light in the woods that might have been the sun reflecting off of a gun. Glenn searched the spot where the light had come from and sure enough saw two people standing there. Unfortunately they were being chased by a herd towards the fences, where even more walkers waited. Glenn scrambled down the ladder as fast as possible and ran for the gate, where Mr. Samuels was on duty. "Open it! Open the gate!"

Mr. Samuels knew better than to hesitate. He opened the inner gate and then ran forward to control the outer one. Glenn had to trust him to make sure no walkers got through after he was outside because he had to focus on his task. Glenn ran toward the woods, where the two women were just now emerging. When they saw the prison, and the walkers that surrounded it, they froze in horror. Glenn pulled out his machete and dispatched a few walkers. Seeing him get to work sprung the two women into action. Glenn gestured for them to follow him, and having no other choice, they did so. As Glenn approached the gate Mr. Samuels expertly timed it so that the gate opened no earlier than it absolutely had to in order to let them in. The second Glenn and his companions were through the gate was closed again. One of the women fell to her knees, breathing heavily. "Those things almost tore us apart," she said. "I've never seen that many."

The other woman put her hand on the first's shoulder. "It's okay baby. We're okay."

"Were either of you bit? Scratched?" Glenn held up his hand toward Mr. Samuels, gesturing for him not to open the inner gate yet. "I'm sorry, but if you were you can't come in."

The standing woman gave Glenn a furious look. "No, we weren't," she said caustically.

"I really am sorry," Glenn said. "We just can't be too careful."

The kneeling woman got to her feet with her companion's help. "It's okay."

"I have to ask you some questions," Glenn said.

"What kind of questions," the more confrontational of the two asked.

"Just three. Three for each of you. How many walkers have you killed?"

The less confrontational woman answered first. "I don't really know. At first I didn't know you had to shoot them in the head. I would blow a dozen holes in one and it would just get right back up. Since I've found out how to kill them I think I've gotten maybe twenty."

Glenn nodded. "And you?"

"A hundred at the very least," the other woman said boastfully.

"How many people have you killed?"

Again the less confrontational woman spoke first. "I've never killed anybody."

Glenn looked at the other woman. She stared him down. "Three."

Glenn didn't react to that. "Why?"

This time the confrontational woman spoke first. "I put my buddy down after one of those freaks took a bite out of him. He was bleeding out and suffering. Later I was with a group and a couple of guys tried to mess with us, so I put them in the ground. They would have taken our supplies and done God knows what to us if I hadn't ended them. I did what I had to."

Glenn looked at the other woman. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?" She seemed confused.

"Why haven't you killed anybody?"

The woman stared at Glenn. "I never had to."

Glenn looked at both of the women. The woman who had just answered was staring at Glenn with wide fearful eyes. The other woman had her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes following his every movement. "I'm Glenn." Glenn stuck out his hand for either of them to take.

The fearful woman took it. "I'm Tara, and this is my girlfriend Alisha."

Glenn nodded at Alisha after he shook Tara's hand. "Do you want to come in?"

Alisha and Tara looked at each other. "What do we have to do," Alisha asked.

"Everybody here is expected to contribute as best they can," Glenn said. "Whatever job you're most compatible with you'll be asked to do. And everybody here has to get along."

"What do you mean get along," Tara asked.

Glenn looked into her eyes. "We know what it's like out there. You either have to fight or you die. Things are different here. People have to respect each other and if there's a conflict it needs to be brought before the council, not settled with fists. Not everybody here is particularly sociable, and that's fine so long as you don't hurt anybody or infringe on anybody's rights."

"What's this council," Alisha asked.

"Five members of the community here make the rules and decide disputes."

"Who's on this council," Alisha asked.

"I'm a member actually. My father-in-law, Hershel, is also on-"

"So this is just one great big happy patriarchy huh?"

Glenn stared at Alisha for a moment. "As I was saying, the other members are Carol, Sasha and Daryl. Carol is the closest thing we have to an HR person, so if you need anything you can always go to her. You can come to me too of course, or anybody on the council. Carol is in charge of delegating jobs, so you'll definitely be meeting her regardless. Hershel is one of our doctors and he's in charge of nutrition and medical supplies. He makes sure the food we eat isn't deficient in any important vitamins or anything and that we don't run out of medicine. Daryl is in charge of food procurement. Sasha is in charge of defenses. I'm in charge of run teams."

"You guys sound really organized," Tara said.

"We have to be," Glenn said. "We have a lot of people depending on us."

"And you're just going to let us in?" Alisha sounded suspicious.

"We need people," Glenn said. "Without people we couldn't maintain the fences, go on runs, grow crops or protect this place. People are the only way to defend against the dead."

"What about the living," Alisha asked.

Glenn sighed. He had no idea what this woman had been through, but he knew what he had been through on the outside and if what she had suffered was anything like that then Glenn completely understood her suspicion, respected it actually. "Sometimes we have to defend against them too. I know you don't trust me. You shouldn't. You don't know me. If you want to leave we'll draw as many walkers as we can away from this part of the fence and try to help you make a run for it. I hope you decide to stay though. If you come inside and don't like us, you can always leave at a later date. There will probably be less walkers at the fence then, I hope."

"You call them walkers," Tara asked.

Glenn nodded. "What about you?"

"Biters," Tara said. "We call them biters."

Glenn looked at Alisha. "What do you say?"

Alisha looked over her shoulder at the corpses crowded against the gate. "I don't want to go back out there," she said. "I'm willing to give this place a chance." Glenn saw that beneath her aggression and anger Alisha was hiding a very real fear. He understood that. She had someone she needed to protect. Glenn would be afraid too if he was in her shoes.

"I'll give you the tour. Come on." Glenn nodded at Mr. Samuels to open the gate and then began to lead Tara and Alisha inside. He was relieved when he saw Tyreese and Karen coming toward them. He'd been worried about leaving the tower empty. He waved them over.

"Glenn, what's going on," Karen asked.

"Karen, Tyreese, this is Tara and Alisha. They got chased to our gates by a herd."

Karen glanced at the herd. "I'm glad you're both all right. Will you be joining us?"

"Maybe," Alisha said in a guarded tone.

Karen nodded in approval. "You want us to head on up," she asked Glenn.

"That would be great, thanks," Glenn said.

Karen bid the two new women farewell and then headed for the tower. "It's great to meet you," Tyreese said. "I love welcoming new people." He shook Tara's hand and then offered his to Alisha, who declined it. Tyreese smiled at her anyway and followed his girlfriend to the tower.

"Alisha," Tara admonished softly.

"We don't know anything about these people," Alisha said.

"Do you really think they're trying to kill us with handshakes?"

Glenn couldn't hold back a chuckle at that. "Well nobody is ever going to ask you to relinquish your weapons," Glenn said. "That should make you feel a little safer."

"It does actually," Alisha said. "But it doesn't make me trust you."

"Doesn't have to," Glenn assured her. "Let's get inside."

Glenn led the women to the inner yard. Carol was still setting the outdoor kitchen up for breakfast when Glenn approached. She frowned when she saw his companions. "There wasn't a run today," she said. Glenn knew that was meant as an inquiry into where they came from.

"Carol, this is Tara and Alisha. They ran into a herd in the woods. They got chased up to our gates and I helped them inside." Glenn caught her gaze and they shared a meaningful look.

"You asked the three questions?"

Glenn nodded. "I did."

Carol didn't look happy. She didn't like anomalies. They had a system for bringing in people they encountered on runs, but no one had ever just showed up at the gate before, not unless you counted Michonne. That was a very different situation though. Glenn didn't fault Carol for her suspicions. She had good instincts. However, Glenn had a good feeling about their two newcomers. Despite her reservations, Carol still had a smile for Tara and Alisha. That was just the kind of person she was. "Breakfast won't be ready out here for another hour, but I think Beth was cooking something outside C block. You must be hungry. Go inside and get something to eat, then Glenn can help you pick out a cell." Carol worked as she spoke, as was her way.

"A cell?" Tara sounded scared.

"This was a prison," Glenn said. "There aren't any rooms really, so we all sleep in cells."

"Like prisoners," Alisha asked.

"We don't lock the doors, unless somebody wants their door locked that is. We put curtains up for privacy. Some people feel a little claustrophobic, but a lot of us like knowing that if walkers ever got in for any reason we can just close the cell door and be safe," Glenn said.

"Has that ever happened," Tara asked. "Have walkers ever gotten in?"

Glenn looked at the ground. He thought about T-dog and Lori. "Not since the beginning."

"You should take them inside," Carol said. "You two look half-starved."

"It's hard to find food out there," Tara whispered.

"Well we have food here," Glenn said. "Come on." Glenn led Tara and Alisha into the prison and then headed for the common area outside C block. Beth had made breakfast for the occupants of C block. There was a plate with some remaining pancakes on the table next to a pot of coffee and a plate of bacon. Beth herself was playing with Judith on the floor. Daryl and Sasha were sitting a little ways away bent over a map whispering intently. The only other person in the area was Carl, curled up in a chair reading comics. "All right Beth, you made a nice spread."

Beth looked up at her brother-in-law and gave him a bright smile. "I saved plenty for you and Maggie. Is she coming back soon?" Judith looked up to see who Beth was talking to.

"She's with your dad."

Judith used Beth's arm to pull herself to her feet. She made a grasping motion at Glenn and giggled. "Glee, Glee. Beh, Glee, Glee." Judith tugged at Beth's sleeve to get her attention.

"Yeah Judy, it's Glee."

Glenn groaned. "Don't call me that Beth. She'll never learn my name if you keep at that."

Glenn saw Daryl look up from the map and frown before walking over. "Who's this?"

Glenn turned to the newcomers. "Tara, Alisha, this is Daryl. That's Sasha. This is my sister-in-law Beth. That's Judy, and way over there being an angsty teenager is Carl."

Carl lowered his comic book for long enough to stick his tongue out at Glenn and then delved right back into it. Tara stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you Daryl," she said.

Daryl shook her hand. "Welcome," he said.

Sasha came over. "It's always good to see fresh faces."

Tara shook Sasha's hand, and after a moment of hesitation so did Alisha. Glenn couldn't help but grin at the progress. He was distracted when Judith demanded that attention be immediately returned to her. "Ayl! Ayl!" Judith screamed for Daryl to pay attention to her, and as always he could deny her nothing. Daryl grinned as he picked up the girl. "Udy up!"

"Yeah Judy, you're up. Can you say Judy? Ju-Dee." Daryl was constantly trying to teach Judith her own name, and Carl's. So far he'd accomplished Udy and Caul. He was pretty proud.

Glenn grinned. "Try to teach her mine. I don't want to be Glee anymore."

"Glee, Glee," Beth corrected.

"You're not helpful," Glenn said.

"At least you're not Roll," Sasha pointed out.

"Yeah, poor Carol," Daryl said. "Judy, say Care-ol."

"Roll," Judith said proudly.

"She'll get it," Daryl said. "She's smart, this kid is."

"So you'll teach her Carol's name but not mine? Why the favoritism," Glenn asked.

"Do you hear this guy," Daryl asked Judy. "Such a complainer. Say Glenn. You can do it Judy, I know you can. Say Gl-en. Glenn." Daryl had a big sappy grin on his face as he held her.

"Glenn." The G was particularly gooey, but she had definitely said his name.

"Oh my God! She did it! She said my name!" Glenn wasn't quite sure why he was so excited, but he was overjoyed to be one of the first people whose name Judith got right.

Detecting his excitement Judith looked over at him. "Glee, Glee!"

"She just doesn't realize it's your name." Beth sounded smug.

Glenn sighed. "Oh well, it's something." Glenn remembered that he was actually supposed to be doing something right now. He turned back to Tara and Alisha, who looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Sorry guys, Judy can be distracting sometimes. You can have as much of the food from the table as you want. If you're still hungry after we'll make some lunch for you after the tour. We'll get you a cell as soon as possible so you can get some sleep too."

"Remember," Sasha said. "D is full now."

"Oh yeah." As Tara and Alisha nervously made their way over to the food Glenn thought about the housing situation. D block had filled up a little while ago. Besides the latest newcomers there had only been two new arrivals since then. They had both said they had no problem taking cells in A block. They actually seemed relieved to be apart from the hustle and bustle of the crowded cell blocks. Both had been alone for a while. Cooperative living was an adjustment.

Glenn was distracted again by Judith. She was squealing with delight as Daryl lightly tossed her into the air and then caught her. "Ohhh, you're making me nervous," Beth fretted.

"Chill Beh, she loves it."

"What if you drop her?"

"I'm not gonna drop- oh no!" Daryl pretended to almost lose his grip on Judith by lowering her close to the ground before hauling her back up. Judith laughed. "Close one."

"Daryl Dixon, you are such a jerk!" Beth stomped her foot. "That's not funny!"

"Oh come on Beh, it's a little funny."

"Not in the slightest! And quit calling me that!" Beth stormed off.

Sasha snickered. "You're so mean," she said.

"Me?" Daryl pretended to be shocked and affronted. "I'm not mean."

"You give that poor kid such a hard time."

Daryl held Judith up in the air over his face. "Do I give Beth a hard time Judy?"

"Beh!"

"That means no," Daryl explained to Sasha as he lowered the little girl to his chest.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "I'm going to check on the fence team."

"I'll join you," Daryl said. "Just let me get Judy settled."

"No, no," Sasha said. "You stay here and be adorable. I can handle it."

Glenn couldn't keep the grin off his face. He watched Daryl fuss over the little girl for a few more moments before returning his attention to his charges. They looked awkward as they picked at the food, like they weren't sure if they were really supposed to. Glenn walked over and urged them to eat more. "We don't let people go hungry here," he promised. "Eat your fill and then some. I promise it'll be alright." Tara looked up and gave him a hesitant smile.


	2. Good Person

When Glenn was confident that Tara and Alisha had eaten their fill he resumed the tour he had promised them. When they were alone in a mostly empty part of the prison Alisha bit her lip and gave Glenn a scrutinizing look. "How old is she? Your sister-in-law, I mean."

"Eighteen, I think. I'm fairly sure she isn't nineteen yet, but I lost track of the date."

"And how old is that guy," Alisha asked.

"Who?"

"The guy she had the baby with," Alisha said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Glenn said. "That was not Beth's baby."

"Oh thank God," Tara said.

"No guys, Judith's mom… She didn't make it. Daryl is kind of her stepdad."

"What do you mean," Tara asked.

"Daryl is with a man in our group named Rick. Carl and Judith are Rick's kids."

"I can't tell you what a relief that is," Tara said. "When we saw that young girl with the kid and the way that guy was treating her, we thought she might be in a forced marriage."

Glenn felt a pang of sadness, because that was the kind of thing that really could happen in the world they lived in now. But it couldn't happen here. "Beth and Daryl just like to tease each other. Trust me, she gives as good as she gets. She's seeing a boy her age in our group."

"Sorry," Tara said. "We shouldn't have assumed."

"It's okay," Glenn said. "Really. I know it will take time to adjust. We were all where you are at one point or another. I saw stuff out there too. But I promise you, we're good people."

…

Glenn came to a stop outside the infirmary. "So this is where Dr. S, Hershel, and Bob do their work. There is always somebody here, so if you're ever not feeling well you can come here and somebody will be able to treat you." Glenn heard the sound of running feet and saw one of the children, Molly, headed for the door. "Hey Molly, are you all right," Glenn asked nervously.

Molly was holding her stomach, and she wiped a tear from her eye. "My tummy _really_ hurts, and Lizzie said I'm being a baby, but I want some medicine." Molly rubbed her abdomen.

Glenn picked the little girl up. "Hey, you're not being a baby. We'll get you some medicine and make you feel all better, all right?" Glenn tweaked the little girl's nose.

Molly smiled at Glenn. "Thanks Mr. Glenn."

Glenn laughed. "It's just Glenn Molly."

"Thanks Glenn." Molly rested her head on Glenn's shoulder.

Glenn opened the door to the infirmary and was greeted by the sight of his wife, looking startled by his entrance, sitting on one of the examination tables while Hershel sat across from her on a stool. It looked like Glenn had interrupted a conversation. "Glenn," Maggie said.

Glenn smiled at her, not sure why she seemed so nervous. "Molly's sick."

Hershel got up. "Well that just won't do. Put her on the table over there and we'll see if we can't fix that." Hershel smiled at the little girl. Glenn took her over to where Hershel pointed.

Glenn pointed to Tara and Alisha, who were standing in the doorway. "Guys this is Tara and Alisha. They'll be joining us. This is my wife Maggie and my father-in-law Hershel."

Tara stepped forward, looking petrified. "Nice to meet you."

Maggie hopped off the table and gave Tara a warm handshake. "It's a pleasure."

After the pleasantries were dispensed Hershel went over to tend to Molly. "How long have y'all been alone out there," Maggie asked. "Was it just the two of you?"

Tara fidgeted nervously and then looked at Alisha. "We were with a group, but they all died and we've been on our own ever since," Alisha said quickly. "I'm not really sure how long it's been, but it's been awhile. The days all seemed to blend together after enough time passed."

Maggie nodded in understanding. "It must have been difficult for you."

"We managed," Alisha said with fire in her voice.

"I can see that. I don't know if I could have in such a small group. You're very brave."

"Thank you," Tara whispered. "But I don't feel brave."

Maggie put a comforting hand on Tara's shoulder. Glenn noticed Alisha bristle when Maggie did so, but he didn't think Maggie caught it. "You are. It takes a lot of courage to make a gamble like this. I promise you that it will be worth it. This really is a wonderful place to live."

"Of course you'd say that," Alisha said. "Your husband is one of the people in charge."

Maggie laughed. "It's not like that here. The council just keeps everything running smoothly; we don't have any dictators here." Maggie walked over to Glenn and took his hand.

Glenn kissed her knuckles. "I don't think I'd make a very good dictator. Most of the ones I've seen have some sort of snazzy facial hair, like Stalin's stache or Castro's beard."

Tara burst out laughing. She quickly put her hands over her mouth to try to stifle her chortles when her girlfriend gave her a dirty look. "Sorry," she said. "I'm sorry." The giggles that filled the spaces between her words made them seem less authentic. "I'm just so tired."

"I bet you are," Maggie said. She was looking at Tara with a warm compassionate smile that reminded Glenn why he loved his wife so much. "Glenn, have you found them a cell yet?"

Glenn shook his head. "I was thinking A block, but all of the cells in there are single occupancy, and I don't think they'd be very comfortable in there. B is obviously out of the question, and D and C are full. No one wants to stay in the tombs… what do you think?"

"What are the tombs," Tara asked nervously.

"Those cells are deep inside the prison," Maggie said. "There isn't a lot of light down there, and they're pretty dreary. We use some of the cells for storage, but for the most part no one ever goes down there unless they want to get away from everybody for some reason."

"What's wrong with B block? Is that where all the elites live," Alisha asked.

Glenn shared a look with Maggie. They were both on the same page as far as Alisha's paranoia was concerned. It was understandable, but kind of annoying. "B block was solitary confinement when the prison was still in operation," Glenn explained. "The cells are even smaller than the ones in A and they are incredibly uncomfortable to stay in."

Alisha nodded. "We can stay in the tombs," she said.

"Oh no," Maggie said. "We couldn't ask you to do that."

"Are we not allowed to stay there?" Alisha crossed her arms over her chest again.

"You can stay wherever you like," Maggie said. "But we want you to be comfortable."

"The darkness doesn't bother us," Alisha said. "We just want to be together."

"Well if you're sure…" Maggie shot Glenn a look, but all he could do was shrug.

"You can always change your mind later," Glenn assured them.

Molly, having received her treatment, started to run past them. She stumbled, and Tara quickly caught her. "Hey there, be careful." Tara tugged one of Molly's braids playfully.

Molly smiled at Tara. "I gotta go to story time," she said excitedly.

"Oooh," Tara squealed with delight. "With knights and princesses?"

"Yes!" Molly clapped her hands in anticipation.

"You better hurry then, but be careful okay?"

Molly nodded emphatically. "Yes'm," she said before running off.

Tara looked at Glenn and Maggie and smiled. "I have a niece." A horrified look took over her face, and Tara quickly corrected herself. "I had a niece." Tara looked at the ground.

Glenn and Maggie shared a bereaved look. "Let's go get you settled," Maggie said.

…

The tasks of the day went quickly by, and soon the occupants of the prison were crowded around the outdoor kitchen for dinner. Carol and Patrick were manning the grill. Beth was shepherding the children. Rick was fussing over his daughter. Carl and Michonne were having some sort of contest that involved throwing m&ms into each other's mouths. Sasha was whispering to Bob. Glenn wasn't sure, but he thought there might be something going on between the two of them. Zack was pestering Daryl with more guesses about what the older man had done before the world ended. Tyreese and Karen were whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears when they thought no one would notice. Everybody noticed. Hershel and Dr. S were having another one of their intellectual debates. Glenn was happy. This was his family, and they were all safe, happy and together. "What are you grinning about?" Glenn looked over his shoulder and saw Maggie approaching with two plates. His smile only grew. She leaned in and planted her lips on his before handing him a plate. "You've been in a really good mood today."

"I just feel like… Everything has finally come together."

Maggie stirred her food around on her plate. "I'm glad to hear you say that."

"Why?" Glenn spoke through a mouthful of food.

"Because I'm pregnant," Maggie said in a voice as quick and offhand as possible.

Glenn choked on a piece of meat. Maggie pounded on his back until the meat went into his stomach like it was supposed to. Glenn stared at Maggie. She was nervous. "Pregnant?"

"Are you okay with that?"

Glenn put his plate down. He took Maggie's face between both of his hands and leaned forward so that his forehead rested against hers. He could feel the warmth of her skin. Their lips were almost, but not quite, touching. He shut his eyes tight. "I love you so much Maggie."

"Are you happy," she whispered.

"I'm not just happy, I…" Glenn opened his eyes. He stared into Maggie's eyes, seeing all the fear, excitement, anxiety, anticipation and a million other things. "I'm gonna be a dad."

"You are," she said, breathless with excitement. "You are going to be a dad."

"Did you find out today?"

Maggie nodded, moving both their heads. "I suspected I might be, so I asked my dad to give me a check-up. He confirmed it. We're going to have a baby. We're going to be parents."

"Does Beth know?"

Maggie shook her head. "You and dad are the only ones."

"Oh God," Glenn said. "This is amazing."

Maggie wrapped her arms around his neck. "I was so worried," she whispered. "I thought you might not like this. I thought you might be scared. But I was just being stupid-"

"Hey, don't talk like that about the mother of my child," Glenn teased.

Maggie giggled. "You have no idea how happy you just-"

"Jesus you two, get a room." Glenn released Maggie and turned to see Daryl standing a little ways away from them, shaking his head. "What's going on over here?"

Glenn looked at Maggie. She gave him an imperceptible nod.

"Maggie's pregnant." Glenn couldn't believe he had just said that.

Daryl's jaw dropped, so apparently neither could he. "No shit?"

"None at all," Glenn said. "I'm going to be a dad." Glenn pulled Maggie closer to him, encircling his arm around her abdomen. "And this wonderful woman is going to be a mother."

"Congratulations," Daryl said. Daryl turned around. "Hey everybody! The lovebirds over here have an announcement to make! Hey! Shut up!" Everybody grew quiet and turned to them.

Glenn glared at Daryl as the other man walked away, smirking. Maggie began to giggle nervously as she surveyed their friends and family. "Everybody," she said. "Glenn and I…"

Miraculously, Beth saved them. "Oh my God! Are you pregnant?!"

Glenn burst out laughing. "Actually, yeah," he said.

Beth squealed with enthusiasm. She ran up to her sister and threw her arms around the expectant mother. "I can't believe this! This is amazing! I'm going to be an aunt! I'm gonna be a real aunt! Judy will have a best friend!" Beth let go of Maggie and threw her arms around Glenn.

Glenn returned his sister-in-law's hug while the occupants of the prison clapped for the couple's good fortune. Beth soon returned to hugging her sister. Hershel had made his way over by now and clapped a hand on Glenn's shoulder. "I'm very happy for you, both of you. I know you'll be incredible parents." Coming from Hershel those words meant the world to Glenn.

"Thank you," Glenn whispered, tears in his eyes.

"Oh no Glenn, don't cry," Maggie begged. "If you cry then I will too."

But Glenn couldn't help it. Hershel enveloped his son-in-law in a hug, and then he pulled his daughters in as well. Glenn was with his family. He was with his father, his wife, his sister and his unborn child. Glenn didn't know what he'd done to deserve this; he was just grateful.

…

After the family hug dissolved, a swarm of well-wishers made their way over to the Greene clan to congratulate them on their prospective child/grandchild/nibling. Glenn was overwhelmed by the number of pats on the back and handshakes. He felt someone pull him away, and a few moments later he was behind the outdoor kitchen with Rick. He was relieved to find that he could breathe again. "You looked like you could use an assist back there."

Rick chuckled when Glenn's only response was a numb nod. "Where's Maggie?"

"I think Daryl snatched her. Zack got Beth, and Hershel looks fine honestly."

Glenn looked over his shoulder at his father-in-law shaking hands and accepting congratulations like a pro. "Well he's probably used to this. He has two daughters. Geez Rick, I'm going to be a _father_. Can you believe that? There's going to be a baby that calls me dad."

"I heard," Rick said, smiling.

"Got any advice for me?"

"I'm going to tell you what my father told me when I found out Lori was expecting Carl."

Glenn nodded eagerly. "Okay," he said.

"He said, 'son, when it comes to children there's one very important thing you have to remember at all times.' So I said, 'what is it dad?' He said, 'don't drop them.' There ya go."

Glenn sighed. "You're a jerk, you know that? You've been spending way too much time with Daryl." Glenn ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh God, but what if I do drop the baby?"

Rick gripped Glenn's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "You won't. I didn't."

"But what if I do?"

"Glenn, take a few deep breaths."

Glenn obeyed his friend, and after a few moments he calmed down. "Thank you."

"Any time," Rick assured him.

"Did you see how excited Beth was? You'd have thought she was having a baby."

Rick smiled. "She's an enthusiastic young woman," he said.

Glenn took a deep breath. "I better get back out there. If I leave Maggie with Daryl for too long he'll probably end up force-feeding her or something. I don't think he understands that a baby doesn't need as much food as a full-grown person. Between him and Beth my poor wife probably isn't going to get a moments peace." Glenn was mostly joking, but honestly he could just picture those two running around trying to satisfy Maggie's every supposed desire and need.

"Well I can keep an eye on Daryl, but Beth's your problem," Rick said.

"Fair enough." Glenn rounded the corner of the temporary structure and almost collided with Tara. The young woman gasped and jumped back. "Oh man, I'm sorry!" Glenn reached out and gripped her arms to steady her. "Are you alright? I didn't see you there," he said.

"I'm fine. You just startled me. I probably startled you too."

"A little," Glenn admitted. "Are you lost?"

"I was looking for that woman, Carol? I need to know where to go for work tomorrow."

"Slow down," Glenn said. "You just got here. Give yourself some time to adjust."

"I thought you said everybody had to contribute," Tara said.

"Well that's true," Glenn said. "But you and Alisha need time to familiarize yourself with the prison, get to know the people and recover from the road. After a couple of weeks or so when we all know each other better we'll discuss what's the best fit for you." Glenn gave Tara what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Do you need help finding your way back to your cell?"

Tara shook her head. "No, I'm pretty good with directions. Uh… congratulations."

Glenn couldn't contain his grin. "Thank you. I can still hardly believe this is real."

"Aren't you scared?"

Glenn looked at his feet. "I'd be lying if I said no." He looked back up at Tara, who seemed to be hanging on his every word. "I can't refuse to live because I'm worried about the possibility of death. I believe that my child can grow up here. I believe my family is safe here."

Tara looked conflicted. He saw pain and terror on her face. "But what if…"

"Go ahead," Glenn said. "It's okay. I promise I won't take offense."

"What if it isn't safe here?"

Glenn nodded. "Can I show you something?"

Tara looked nervous, but she nodded in return. "All right."

Glenn led Tara to the gate that encircled the yard. He pointed through the chain-links at the other gates and the walkers that pressed against them. "Do you know what keeps them out?"

Tara gave Glenn a suspicious look. "Is that a trick question?"

Glenn laughed. "No, I promise."

"The fences of course," Tara said.

Glenn shook his head. "The fences wouldn't keep them out forever. Eventually enough would come and push them down. We have to thin the herd every day to keep them at bay."

Tara seemed to understand what Glenn was trying to say. "It's the people."

Glenn grinned at her. "Everybody here is a family. Most of us didn't know each other before the end, but that's okay. We're together now. We protect each other. If those fences ever came down I would be devastated, but it would be okay. I know that everybody here would help me protect my child, just like we all work together to protect and take care of Judith."

"That's beautiful," Tara said.

"And now you're a part of it," Glenn said.

"But I just got here," Tara protested.

"Doesn't matter. You're a good person. I can see it. You're one of us now."

Tears began to leak from Tara's eyes. "Thank you." Her voice was thick with tears.

"You should probably get some sleep."

Tara nodded as she wiped tears from her face. "Yeah, see you in the morning." Tara fled.

Glenn watched her long enough to make sure she got safely inside the building, and then he went to find his wife. It didn't take him long. Just as he had predicted both Daryl and Beth were with her, and they were trying to make her eat a second helping of food. "Need some help swatting a couple of pests," Glenn asked Maggie. "I just need to find a giant flyswatter."

Beth stuck out her tongue at him. "Tell your wife she needs to eat."

"She did eat. I watched her do it," Glenn assured them.

"Come on Beth," Daryl said. "I think your sister and her hubby want to try to double up."

"Oh gross!" Beth made a disgusted face. "That isn't even possible." As the pair left they continued to squabble until they were out of earshot. Maggie shook her head at them.

"They're like twelve-year-olds," Glenn observed.

"They're worse than an actual twelve-year-old," Maggie said. "Carl was never that bad."

Glenn snickered. "We should definitely tell Daryl that."

"Or we could not ever do that," Maggie said as she laughed. Maggie stood up and took Glenn's hand. She headed inside, pulling him behind her. "That was an interesting idea though."

Glenn was pretty sure he knew what she was talking about. "Should we with the baby?"

Maggie burst into guffaws. "Glenn! You don't know anything about biology, do you?"

"I know the toe bones are connected to the foot bones."

Maggie sighed. "The only considerations healthy pregnant women need to take about sexual activity is keeping their abdomen supported after they start to show. That isn't exactly a problem yet." Maggie reached up and ran her thumbs over Glenn's cheekbones. "I hope you're not going to be repulsed by my grotesque fat stomach when that time comes though," she said.

Glenn put his lips on her ear. "Nothing about you could ever be grotesque."

Maggie giggled. "Come on dad, let's go."


	3. Leader

When Glenn woke up it was to the smell of cooking sausage. He turned to his side and was surprised to see that Maggie was already up. Glenn wandered into the common area outside of C block. Beth was cooking the delicious smelling sausage while her sister whisked eggs and watched the tea kettle. Daryl was sitting at the table making some sort of gross-looking pink paste out of some kind of meat… thing. "You better not try to feed my wife that," Glenn said.

"I already checked on that," Maggie said. "Apparently it's for Judith."

"Chicken livers," Daryl said. "She loves them."

"I don't believe that for a second," Beth said. "She's probably just afraid of bruising your sensitive ego. Mark my words, the second she learns to talk she'll be begging me to confiscate all of the chicken livers, which I am tempted to do regardless. Seriously, that is disgusting."

"Sorry I'm not meeting your high culinary standards princess."

"Whatever." Beth stuck her tongue out at Daryl again.

"You keep doing that and someday something will bite that thing right off."

Glenn snickered. "You two are ridiculous. No wonder Tara thought you were married."

Maggie started laughing. "For real? That's amazing."

"Ugh!" Beth made a disgusted face. "I would never marry such an uncouth Neanderthal."

"All right Webster," Daryl said. "Tone down the fancy talk. It ain't even eight yet."

Beth returned her attention to the food, grumbling about how she had never heard such a ridiculous notion in all her life. Glenn picked up a tray and started to put together two plates for Tara and Alisha. "I'm going to take this to the new guys and make sure they're doing okay."

"You're such a great guy Glenn," Beth said. "Unlike _some_ people."

"I think she's talking about me," Daryl said.

"I'm getting out of here before I get hit by a stray round. You two leave my wife out of your nonsense while I'm gone." Glenn made his way to the tombs as quickly as possible to ensure the food would still be hot when he got there. Glenn's trip did not take very long.

Glenn was almost at Tara and Alisha's cell when he heard the shouting. "I just can't do this Alisha! This is wrong! We need to get out of here before it's too late! We have to go!"

Glenn cleared his throat loudly to announce his presence. The shouting immediately stopped, and when he rounded the corner with the tray Tara and Alisha were seated on the top bunk as though they had just been having a casual chat. "I brought you breakfast," Glenn said.

"Why," Alisha asked suspiciously.

"I just wanted to check on you."

"Did you think we would be doing something we weren't supposed to?"

Glenn shook his head. "I wanted to see if you needed anything."

Tara quickly got to her feet. "We have to go."

"Tara! What are you doing?"

Glenn thought it was odd that Tara was the one who wanted to go and Alisha the one who objected to this. He would have thought it would be the other way around. "Care to say why?"

"We don't belong here," Tara said. "Please, we need to leave."

Glenn frowned. "If you want to go, then of course you're free to. I just thought that you were starting to like it here. Are you sure you don't want to give it at least a few days?"

"Yes," Alisha said quickly. "We'll give it a few days."

"Alisha!" Tara looked distraught. "We can't!"

Alisha got off the bed and took Tara's hand. "Baby please, you have to stay strong."

Tears began to stream down Tara's face. "Please, don't ask me to do this."

Glenn began to feel awkward witnessing this private scene. "I'll uh… just leave this here and see you guys later. If you need anything please let somebody know." Glenn quickly left.

…

Hershel and Rick had asked for Glenn's help doing a projected crop yield, so he was out in the fields with a clipboard doing double counts. Glenn got the impression that it was more Hershel than Rick that wanted him here. Glenn didn't mind though. If Hershel wanted to pass the family trade onto him that was just fine with Glenn. Glenn could imagine himself out here with his own child one day, teaching him or her how to plow the fields and reap the crops. For now though, they were just counting. To say this task was monotonous was to give a bad rap to the word monotony. Glenn pulled out his pocket watch, the one Hershel had given him and the one Glenn would give his own child one day, and checked the time. They had two hours left.

"Getting tired Glenn?" Rick's teasing voice grated Glenn's nerves.

"Nope," Glenn said. "I just can't believe how time flies when you're having fun."

"How are the new girls doing," Hershel asked. "They settling in?"

"I think it's hard for them," Glenn said. "They were out there a long time."

"Do you think they can make the adjustment," Rick asked.

"I hope so. I thought so. I went to check on them this morning and Tara was in tears."

"It is a hard thing," Hershel said. "They'll need our help."

"Or maybe they just need space," Rick said. "The walls, the people, I can understand how that would be suffocating to someone used to just the stars and the trees as their companions."

"Are you aware of how much you sound like Daryl these days," Glenn teased.

Rick sighed. "I do not."

"You do," Hershel said offhandedly as he checked a tomato plant.

"It's so romantic," Glenn said.

"Knock it off," Rick said.

"Oh," Glenn said. "I just remembered. Today's council meeting is about building more obstructions outside the fence, spikes and stuff like that. Want to come and give some input?"

"You guys have it covered," Rick said. "I think I'll just stick to caterpillars and compost."

…

"The question is whether or not the number of walkers we'd draw in with all the noise we'd be making negates the benefit of having the extra protection," Carol said.

"My main concern is the manpower," Daryl said. "We need people to go out there and chop down the trees. We need people to guard those people. It'll take time and it'll divert resources away from the stuff we need to get done every day. What if a herd started to push down a fence while most of our more able-bodied people were out in the woods?"

"I'm talking about long-term benefits," Sasha said. "More walkers come every day, and the noise they make attracts even more. We don't have enough people to keep this problem under control, not forever. Eventually we'll have to go out there and move the bodies as well."

"If this has to be done eventually regardless, then it's better to do it now," Hershel said.

"Doesn't there have to be a finite number of walkers in this area," Glenn asked.

"Yeah," Daryl said. "But it's a pretty big number. Plus when an area runs out of food the herds move on. We might well end up with walkers all the way from Florida here one day."

"Jesus," Sasha said. "I don't even like thinking about that." She rubbed her temples in an apparent attempt to massage away the thought. "But we have to. We need these defenses."

"If we don't have the manpower though, then it simply can't be done," Carol said.

"We have a lot of people living here," Glenn said.

"We need capable people," Carol said.

"Carol's right," Daryl said. "I ain't saying it's their fault, but a lot of the people who live here couldn't even swing an ax. Can you picture Patrick or one of the arthritic old folks from Woodbury hauling trees up to the gates? It'd be a damn mess. Be another matter if we had the right tools and the gasoline to spare to operate them, but even if we did the noise would draw dozens of them things down on us." Glenn understood everything Daryl and Carol were saying, but he thought they were missing an important point. This was about the future, their future.

"It will be hard," Glenn said. "But we have to do this. We're going to be living here for a long time. We're going to be living here for the rest of our lives. We _have_ to do this. We just need to find a way." Glenn thought about his baby, who would be playing in the fields outside one day. The fences would have to hold for that child's entire life. Glenn had to ensure that.

"Well you heard the man," Daryl said. "Let's get to planning."

Glenn blushed. "I mean obviously we need to take a vote and-"

"We don't need to vote," Carol said. "We'll do it. You're right."

Glenn met her eyes and saw that she understood. She was a parent too.

…

Tara was walking down the hall with red puffy eyes when Glenn saw her. "Tara!"

Tara practically jumped out of her skin when she heard the shout. "Oh, Glenn."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you again."

"No, it's… not you."

Glenn bit his lip. He wanted to talk to her, but he didn't want to spook her. "I want you to know that you can take as long as you want to decide whether or not to stay. There's absolutely no pressure. Also keep in mind that no matter what you decide you can change your mind later."

Tara looked ready to burst into tears again. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I care about you Tara. Like I said, I think you're a good person."

"You don't even know me," Tara said.

"I like to think I'm a good judge of character. Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"

Tara nodded, and Glenn brought her outside to a section of the courtyard where there weren't any people at the moment. They sat in the grass under the sun. "This is nice," she said.

"Yeah, it can be so peaceful out here once you adjust to the sound of those things."

"You really love it here," Tara said.

"This is my home."

Tara buried her face in her hands. "I wish I could tell you the truth."

"You can," Glenn said. "I promise I won't judge you. We've all had to do things we would never have done before. We've all had to compromise ourselves to survive."

"What have you done? Do you mind telling me?"

Glenn decided to lie back on the grass. He looked up at the blue sky. "When you're out there, and you're fighting, all that matters is staying alive. One time I didn't have any weapons on me, so I had to rip a walker's arm off. I pulled the flesh off the bone to use as a shiv."

"Oh God." Tara sounded like she was going to be sick. "How could you stomach it?"

"Maggie was with me. I had to protect her. I would do anything to protect her."

"Would you kill to protect her?"

"I would," Glenn said. "If I had to, I would. She's done the same for me. She still has nightmares about the three people she had to kill. She never regrets it though. She told me that she would do it all over again if she had to. She would do anything to protect this family."

"Anything?"

Glenn stared at a fluffy white cloud. It looked like a bird. "It's why we're all alive."

"I think I understand now," Tara said.

Glenn breathed a sigh of relief as he sat up. He saw that Tara was now wearing a determined expression on her face. He had hoped to make Tara believe she didn't have to be ashamed of the things she had been forced to do to survive. By the expression on her face Glenn judged that he had succeeded. "I'm glad to hear that. Does this mean you're going to stay?"

"I'll stay," Tara said in a soft voice.

"I'll see you at dinner tonight."

"Yeah," she said. "I'll see you tonight."

…

Glenn was a bit of a celebrity at dinner that night. The picnic tables were filled to maximum capacity, each one having only a single lantern atop it for light. People chatted merrily as they dug into their meals. Everyone had to stop by Glenn's table at least once to tell him how happy they were for him and Maggie, and the pregnancy seemed to be the main topic of conversation at almost every table. When most people were done eating and the excitement had started to die down Zack prodded his girlfriend to sing a song. Beth shook her head and tried to decline, but almost everyone seemed to think a song was the perfect way to end their merry evening, and eventually she was persuaded. As Beth began Bob Dylan's _Man in the Long Black Coat_ Glenn looked around for Tara and Alisha. He hadn't seen them all evening, and it looked like they had decided to skip dinner. Glenn enjoyed the sound of Beth's voice, but he wasn't really listening to the words. "Preacher was talking; there's a sermon he gave. He said every man's conscience is vile and depraved. You cannot depend on it to be your guide when it's you-"

"Jesus girl, don't you know any _happy_ songs?" Glenn was startled. Looking around he saw that several other people were as well. Beth stared at Daryl, her jaw agape. She didn't seem to know how to respond to such a rude interruption. No one did, and for a time silence reigned.

Finally Beth recovered. She glared at Daryl. "Fine, I'll sing something else." Beth paused for a moment and then began to drum a beat on the wooden table with her hand. "Listen to the wind blow. Watch the sun rise. Run in the shadows. Damn your love. Damn your lies." The song Beth had chosen to replace her earlier one didn't seem particularly happy, but perhaps she had chosen it just to spite Daryl for his unprovoked rudeness. "And if you don't love me now you will never love me again. I can still hear you saying: You would never break the chain."

Maggie joined in to help Beth on the chorus. Apparently this was one of those songs with a layered chorus. There was a power in Beth's voice. It captivated all of them. Beth took all of them on a journey through Fleetwood Mac's _The Chain_. When the song was over Glenn thought he understood why she had picked it. There wasn't anything particularly happy or unhappy about this song. It was neither an acquiescence nor a screw you to Daryl. Yet there was something inspiring about the song. Glenn liked the idea of a chain binding them all together. Others did as well apparently, because a rousing round of applause broke out. Beth beamed at them all.

"Was that satisfactory," Beth asked Daryl in a haughty tone.

Daryl had the good grace to admit he had been wrong. "I'm sorry for interrupting you."

"You should be," Beth said. "But I forgive you. That song was pretty dreary."

A few people laughed at this, but no one at their table. Daryl bowed his head towards Beth, indicating acceptance of, and gratefulness for, her forgiveness. It was weird how he sometimes said a lot with few or no words. Glenn saw Rick lean to the side and whisper something in his lover's ear. Glenn didn't know what it was, but it made both men get up from the table at the same time. Rick went to get Carl while Daryl took Judy from Carol. It seemed the night was over, and Glenn was glad. Everyone started to head to their cells. When Carl fell in step with them he took his sister from Daryl. Daryl was more than glad to give Judith up to her older brother. Daryl seemed to approve of healthy sibling relationships. Glenn was holding his wife's hand as they headed home. Beth was walking with Hershel next to them. Sasha, Carol and Tyreese were at the front of the line. Sasha and Carol were discussing possibilities for the reinforcement plan. Michonne was walking next to Daryl, teaming up with Carl to tease him about something. Glenn saw Daryl ruffle Carl's hair, amused about something. The boy gave a fake protest. Then Glenn saw only one thing. They all saw it. All movement and speech ended.

Glenn stared straight ahead. Standing inside C block was none other than the Governor himself, surrounded by armed men and women, including Tara and Alisha. The Governor had a positively ecstatic expression on his face. "Rick, it's good to see you again. Why don't you have a seat? There's so much for us to talk about." The Governor pointed to the tables in the common area outside C block. For a moment nobody moved, and the Governor smiled at them like somebody had just told an amusing story. "When I start shooting, I can't make any promises about where the bullets will go. If you want Judith and Carl to live, you'll all take a seat."

That got everybody moving. Glenn couldn't take his eyes off of Tara and Alisha as he sat down with Maggie, Hershel and Beth. Were Tara and Alisha spies? It didn't seem possible, but what other explanation was there? "What do you want," Rick asked. "Why are you here?"

"It's actually pretty simple," the Governor said. "I have people, good people, that I need to protect, and I can't do that without walls. You have what I need. Why should unrepentant murderers have the safety this place affords, while my people are forced to eke out a living in the mud and dirt? No, it just won't do. This place will be ours soon. Now if you cooperate, nobody needs to die. You can all pack up some supplies and personal effects and be on your way, but that happens only if you cooperate." The Governor pulled out a pair of handcuffs and tossed them at Rick, who caught them reflexively. "Put those on." Rick complied. "Tighter."

"Let them go. They don't-"

Rick was cut off. "Tighten the cuffs and shut your mouth." When Rick was finished obeying the Governor's order the man tossed a pair of cuffs at Michonne. "You too," he said.

"Why are you doing this?" Beth was speaking, but not to the Governor. She was looking at Tara and Alisha. "We took you in. We let you be one of us. Why would you do this?"

The Governor aimed his rifle at Beth. Glenn positioned his body so that he was blocking the Governor's shot. The Governor laughed. "I can just shoot you and then her. I have no reason to want to keep you alive. I'll take this prison peacefully if possible, but if you force my hand I will kill every single one of you and lose no sleep about it. Now all of you, **Shut. Up.** " The pure menace in the man's voice quailed Beth. Michonne had finished with her cuffs, and now the Governor tossed a pair to Daryl. "You're up Daryl. If you don't want to end up like your brother then I suggest that you do as you're told." Glenn was almost certain the reference to Merle had been an intentional dig meant to rile Daryl. The Governor didn't want to intimidate Daryl into submission; he wanted an excuse to hurt him. If Glenn was right then the plan worked.

Daryl tossed the cuffs back. "Screw you."

The Governor took aim and fired.


	4. Prisoner

The cry of pain bounced off the walls. Daryl fell from his seat onto the floor, clutching the bloody hole in his leg. Rick started to stand, but when the Governor shifted his aim to Rick the man stopped. Daryl lay on the ground, panting in pain. "You son of a bitch," Daryl screamed.

The Governor shrugged. "All you had to do was listen to directions." The Governor pointed at Michonne. "Get him on his feet. You two and the sheriff are going to walk in front of my lieutenant on the way to your holding cell. You're not going to try anything, because if you do then my man will gun you down, starting with the hick. Now get moving." A man with a shaved head gestured with his rifle. Michonne had no choice but to reach down with her bound hands and pull Daryl to his feet. The man winced in pain, but he managed to keep any auditory indication of it at bay. Michonne supported Daryl as best she could while the two of them walked in the direction that had been indicated for them. Halfway to the door they were stopped by the man with the shaved head and frisked for weapons. Rick had to go next, and a few moments later the three of them were gone. Glenn had no idea where they had been taken or what was going to happen to them. He felt his chest constrict with fear. Rick, Michonne and Daryl were the three people the Governor had the most reason to hate. What if he executed them? Glenn looked at Maggie, and he saw that his fears were reflected in her eyes. "Alisha, cuff the rest of them."

Alisha went around the room and obeyed the Governor's order. She started with Glenn and pointedly refused to look at him as she clicked the silver bracelets closed. Alisha cuffed Maggie next and then Beth and Hershel. Glenn looked past Alisha and saw Tara staring at the ground with her weapon pointed down. She was the picture of misery. Alisha went to the table where Carol was sitting with Tyreese and Sasha. Sasha glared at Alisha with eyes full of hate while the other woman cuffed her brother. When Alisha reached for Sasha's hand Sasha spoke to her in a low cold voice. "There's a special circle in hell for people like you," she said.

Alisha hesitated. Then she snapped the cuffs on Sasha. "Same to you," she said harshly.

"Why," Carol asked as Alisha cuffed her. "What have we done?"

"No talking," the Governor barked. "I won't say it again."

Carl was alone, but for the baby in his arms, at the table he had been sitting at with Rick, Daryl and Michonne. Alisha approached him slowly. "I have to cuff you. Make sure you have a good grip on the baby." Carl adjusted his grip on Judith and then nodded. Alisha very carefully cuffed Carl, making sure to avoid pinching Judith's skin. Regardless, the girl began to wail loudly with fear and anguish. Alisha jumped back, as though dealing with a deadly snake.

"Shhh," Carl begged his sister. "Judy it's all right."

"Caul! Caul! Wan Dada!"

"Shhh, I know. I know." Carl tried to cradle her closer to him.

"This is cruel," Maggie said. "They're only children."

"So was Penny," the Governor snapped. "That didn't stop you."

Glenn stared at the Governor. "Are you talking about the walker Michonne put down?"

"Be quiet!" The Governor's shout exacerbated Judith's tears. "Shut her up!"

Carl held Judith as close to his body as he could. "Judy please," he begged.

"Why don't we move them to the cells," Tara suggested.

The Governor looked at Tara for a long moment. He looked at his soldiers and then pointed to a man. "You, help Tara and Alisha move the prisoners into cells. No more than one person to a cell, no exceptions. The baby can stay with her brother obviously," he amended.

Tara walked up to Glenn. She pointed her gun at him, but she didn't seem particularly happy to be doing so. "We have to go," she said uncertainly. "Please, don't make trouble."

"We're cooperating," Glenn said. "We'll do as we're told." All Glenn cared about right now was keeping his family safe. He had just stood up when he heard the sound of voices out in the hall. Glenn barely had time to process this before the Governor was standing in the doorway open firing on two men. When the bodies hit the ground Glenn saw the two men from A block.

Tara gasped. "I thought we were taking prisoners!"

"Shhh," Alisha said.

The Governor turned to look at Tara. "As I said, I will avoid violence whenever possible, but I will not allow harm to come to any of you. Those men were sneaking up on us. They would have killed us all. Tara, I know you have a gentle heart, but we may have to kill a few of them."

Tara took a nervous swallow and then nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. I was just startled."

The Governor gave her what was probably meant as a reassuring smile. "Get them into their cells. While you three stand guard the rest of us will secure D block. We'll be back soon."

"There are children in there," Carol said desperately. "Please don't hurt them."

The Governor walked up to Carol. She met his gaze evenly. There wasn't the slightest trace of fear in her eyes. The Governor raised his hand and gave her a vicious slap. Carol's head whipped to the side, and her cheek turned red. Tyreese flinched in sympathetic pain, and Sasha gasped in outrage. Carol however didn't react at all. "I'm not the one that hurts children."

"You just threatened a baby," Carol retorted in a quiet, yet hard, voice.

"Get them in the cells!" Tara rushed to obey.

Glenn found himself being pushed into Rick's cell. He saw Maggie be gently led into the one next to him by Tara, and despite everything he was grateful to her. Beth was placed in the cell next to Maggie's, and Hershel in the fourth cell. Carl was put in the final cell. Carol, Tyreese and Sasha were forced into three cells upstairs. Glenn stood right behind the gate, watching his three captors. Alisha had procured a set of keys somewhere and for now they were all locked in.

"What are you looking at," Alisha demanded.

"Just tell me why," Glenn said. "I just want to know why."

Alisha scoffed. "Brian told us what you did."

"Who's Brian," Beth asked.

"Don't play dumb with us," Alisha said. "We're not going to fall for any of your tricks."

"What tricks? All we ever did was offer you a place in our home," Maggie said.

"Shouldn't we at least get to know what we're being accused of," Glenn asked.

"You don't get to know anything," the male guard said. "Brian said we're not allowed to talk to the prisoners and if you refuse to be quiet we're authorized to put a cap in your ass."

"That didn't seem suspicious to you," Maggie asked.

Alisha started to raise her gun. Glenn felt fear rise up inside him, filling his throat and making it impossible to breathe. Tara put a hand on her girlfriend's arm. "Alisha!"

Alisha looked at Tara and then lowered the gun. "No more talking," she ordered.

Everybody decided to obey this order.

…

Eventually Glenn sat down on the bottom bunk in Rick's cell. The sheets smelled like sweat and dirt. Glenn found the pack of cigarettes Daryl had been sure Carl stole wedged between the bed and the wall, which would have been funny if it weren't for the dire circumstances they currently found themselves in. When Glenn had been frisked for weapons Tara hadn't seen the need to confiscate his watch, so Glenn was able to track the time. It felt like an eternity had gone by when Glenn inspected the face of the watch. To his chagrin it had only been forty-five minutes. Glenn lied back on the bed and groaned. The loud band of something hitting the steel bars of the cell door startled Glenn and caused him to jump to his feet.

The male guard stood there, chuckling. "You jacking off in there man?"

"Go to hell," Glenn said.

"Hey man, you ain't supposed to talk to me, remember?"

"You aren't supposed to talk to me either," Glenn pointed out.

"Ain't talking to you, 'm talking _at_ you."

Glenn rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Glenn lied back down on the bed. He saw no benefit in dealing with this asshole's bullshit, so he just wasn't going to. If the man wanted to talk 'at' Glenn then he was free to do so. Glenn however was under no obligation to listen to him.

"I gotta know man, how do you people sleep at night? Brian told us what you did."

Despite himself Glenn answered. "If by _Brian_ you mean the guy with the eyepatch then I hate to break it to you, but he's a liar as well as a mass murdering sociopath. Brian isn't even his real name. It's Phillip. Or at least he said it was. For all I know that's a fake name too."

"Hey!" Alisha's shout was jarring, but Glenn didn't move from his reclined position on Rick's sweaty sheets. "Stay away from him! We aren't supposed to talk to the prisoners."

"Chill out Alisha. I'm just killing time. This is boring as shit."

"You won't be so bored if one of these psychos kills you."

"They're locked in a cage. What are they gonna do?"

"Brian told us to never underestimate them," Alisha said. "So stay away, got it?"

"Geez, fine." The man banged on the cell door again, but Glenn didn't react. "You best count yourself lucky. I almost hope you do try to escape. I wouldn't mind putting you down."

Glenn listened to the man walk away. The feeling was extremely mutual.

…

Glenn tried to keep himself from checking his watch too often, but the anxiety would eventually overwhelm him and he would have to look. Each time only a few minutes would have passed and his anxiety would just shoot up that much more. Glenn didn't know why he even bothered to check the time. It wasn't as though he was waiting for something specific to happen at a certain time. In fact Glenn had no idea what he should be waiting for or what he should be doing right now. He was locked in a cage with no way of helping his friends or even finding out what was happening to them. Glenn checked his watch again. Three hours, Glenn had been locked up for three hours and seventeen minutes. Glenn looked out of the cell door and saw Alisha standing at the foot of the stairs, watching the cells on the second floor. The male guard was sitting on the ground sharpening a knife. Tara was leaning against the wall, staring at Glenn with a distraught expression on her face. He met her gaze and she immediately looked away.

"Hey! Hey!" Glenn was surprised to hear Sasha shouting.

"What," Alisha demanded angrily.

"I have to go to the bathroom."

Alisha rolled her eyes. "Hold it."

"I can't," Sasha insisted.

"That's not my problem," Alisha said.

"So what am I supposed to do, piss my drawers?" Glenn put his hand over his mouth to stifle a chuckle. Nervous giggles a couple cells down let him know Beth had less luck with this.

"If that's what you have to do," Alisha said.

Tara spoke up. "Well we could escort-"

"No," Alisha said roughly. "We aren't letting anybody out of their cells."

"Don't prison cells have toilets in them," the male guard asked.

"They don't work anymore," Glenn said.

"This is inhumane," Tara said. "She's just one person. We could-"

Alisha walked over to Tara and gripped her shoulders, silencing her. "Tara, you know that I love you. We can't trust these people. I know this is hard, but it will all be over soon."

Tara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "They were nice to us."

"It was a trick baby." Alisha pulled Tara into a hug. "It was just a trick."

"But why? They didn't know us and we had nothing to offer them. What was the point?"

"You heard what Brian said. They pull people in and then they use them. They would have waited until we let our guard down and then they would have hurt us. I know you like to see the best in people, but that's not the world anymore. These people are evil," Alisha said.

"Well look at the pot calling the kettle black," Sasha grumbled from upstairs.

"Do you want me to come up there and-" Alisha never finished her thought because the sound of a woman screaming filled cellblock C. The sound was coming from the hall. Glenn got to his feet and ran to the cell door. He wrapped his hands around the bars and tried to look out through the common area into the hall. Of course he could see nothing from this angle, but he tried anyway. Alisha lifted her rifle and walked up to the doorway. There were the sounds of shots being fired and more screams. "What's going on out there," Alisha demanded.

A woman ran into the common area and fell to her knees. Alisha gasped and pointed her weapon at the woman. The woman, Glenn saw that it was Karen, recoiled. "Go back!"

Patrick came running in after Karen, and when he saw the armed guards he threw his arms up in front of his face and backed against the wall. "There are more in here! Turn back!"

Alisha must have seen the people Karen and Patrick were talking to, because she raised her weapon and shouted at them. "Stop! Stop or I'll shoot! Put your hands in the air and come forward slowly! Now!" Glenn managed to catch sight of his people as they entered the common area and surrendered to Alisha. They all had their hands in the air except for Mr. Samuels, Dr. Subramanian and Bob. Mr. Samuels was holding his daughter Mika in one arm while he tightly gripped his other daughter Lizzie's hand in his free one. Bob was carrying Molly, and Dr. Subramanian was carrying Luke. Zack held his hands high in the air like Karen and Patrick.

"What's happening dad," Mika begged.

"It's all right sweetie," Samuels said. "We're going to be just fine."

"Were you in cellblock D," Alisha asked.

"We were," Karen said. "Are you one of his soldiers?"

"Whose soldiers," Alisha asked.

"The Governor, are you with the Governor?"

Alisha gave Karen a confused look. "I don't know who you're talking about."

"Brian," Glenn shouted to Alisha. "She's talking about the man you call Brian."

Alisha turned around and scowled at Glenn before returning her attention to Karen and the escapees she had brought with her. "How did you get here? Brian was supposed to secure that cellblock. Did you kill him?" Alisha leveled her weapon threateningly at Karen.

"No, but I would have if I had the chance. That man killed my friends, and he would have killed me too if he'd had the chance. I trusted him. I followed him. In return he killed my son and tried to shoot me in the head. If Rick and his people hadn't taken me in I would be dead now."

The male guard approached. "Let's just shoot this bitch," he told Alisha.

"No!" Tara ran over. "We don't kill unless we have to. That's what Brian said."

"He also said no more than one person to a cell. We only have two empty cells," he said.

"We can't kill these people just because we're short on cells!" Tara was furious.

"Tara's right," Alisha said reluctantly. Alisha looked at Mr. Samuels. "Are they yours?"

Mr. Samuels tightened his grip on his children. "Yes, please don't hurt them."

"Tara, put this man and his kids in one of the empty cells upstairs," Alisha said.

Tara hesitated, but then she obeyed her girlfriend's command. She seemed reluctant to leave the other prisoners alone with Alisha and their bloodthirsty compatriot. Glenn decided to interpret this as a good sign. Maybe Tara could be convinced to help them. "Come on," she said.

Alisha looked at the others. She seemed to be doing the math in her head. "Okay, the other two kids can go in with the boy and his sister." Alisha pointed at Karen. "I'm going to put you in the first cell with a guy named Glenn. If you try anything then I will shoot you both."

Karen nodded. "Okay," Her voice was contemptuous, but also defeated.

Alisha shepherded her captives into cellblock C. Alisha guarded the group while the male guard opened Carl's cell. Glenn said a silent prayer that Carl would realize now was not the time for an escape attempt. His prayer was answered, and Carl was quiet and still as Bob and Dr. Subramanian put their charges down. Luke and Molly ran tearfully into the cell. Once the male guard had locked them in Alisha turned to Glenn's cell. She eyed him nervously. "Get back."

Glenn backed against the wall with his hands in the air. The door to Rick's cell was quickly opened, and Karen was shoved in. Karen fell to her hands and knees, and Alisha slammed the door closed behind her. Glenn stepped forward, extended his hand to Karen and helped her to her feet. "Are you okay? Did anybody else make it out of cellblock D?"

"I don't know. When we saw him we ran." Karen sounded guilty.

"You did the right thing," Glenn assured her.

Glenn watched Alisha shove Dr. Subramanian toward Maggie's cell door. She unlocked the cell and then gestured for him to go inside. "Are you alright," Glenn heard the doctor ask.

"I'm fine. They didn't hurt anybody here except for Carol and Daryl. But they took-"

"Be quiet," Alisha snapped. She pointed at Zack. "You're next."

Glenn heard sobbing once Zack was in Beth's cell, and he could picture the young blond throwing herself into her boyfriend's arms and weeping out her fear and anger. Alisha put Patrick in Hershel's cell and then took Bob upstairs to the remaining empty cell. "If you all just keep quiet and don't cause any trouble this will all be over soon," Alisha said. "We don't want to hurt you, but we absolutely will if we have to. The best thing you can do is lie down," she said.

"I don't understand," Karen whispered to Glenn. "Did the Governor recruit them?"

Glenn shook his head. "I think they were plants. I think they let him in."

Karen's eyes widened. "Those sneaky little bitches, of all the dirty underhanded-"

There was another loud bang on the door. "I said be quiet!" Glenn looked up and saw that Alisha's expression was not only furious, but fearful. She really did think they were conspiring.

"What do you think we're going to do? How do you think we're going to hurt you?"

Alisha evaded Glenn's question. "Just keep quiet."


	5. Brother

Tara was watching Glenn again. He could feel her eyes on him. Karen was lying on the top bunk while Glenn sat on the lower one with his elbows resting on his knees and his eyes deliberately locked on the floor. He knew if he looked at Tara she would look away again, so he was careful not to shift position. "Thank you," he said. He waited for her response, but after at least a minute had gone by he gave up on getting one. He stared at the rug. Michonne had brought this rug back from a run to make sure Judith wasn't crawling on cold concrete. It was stained with dirt and spit up baby food. There were also a few spots that looked like blood.

"For what?"

Glenn almost jumped out of his skin. His head shot up on reflex, but Tara did not look away this time. She met his gaze. "Thank you for convincing them not to kill my friends."

"They wouldn't have anyway. We're not killers."

"I believe you," Glenn said earnestly.

"You do?" Tara sounded skeptical.

"That man, Brian or whatever he calls himself, he's a killer. You're not."

"Brian saved my life. He saved my sister's life. He saved my niece. If it weren't for-"

"I thought your niece was dead."

Tara shook her head. "No, that was just a lie I had to tell."

Glenn continued to meet her gaze. "Well I'm glad."

Tara cocked her head in confusion. "What?"

"I'm glad your niece is alive. How old is she?"

"You just want personal information so you can use it against me later."

Glenn shook his head. "No, that was you, remember?"

Tara looked at the floor. Glenn wanted to kick himself. He'd pushed too far. "I didn't tell him about your wife. I begged Alisha not to include that in our report. I said it didn't matter and there was no reason for anybody to know." Tara looked up, and looked into his eyes once more.

"Thank you," Glenn whispered. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."

Tara gave him a faint smile. "Your baby didn't do anything wrong."

"So you know then. You know that the Gov- Brian would hurt my baby." Glenn hated to be saying this in Maggie's earshot, but he had to make Tara understand. It was their only shot.

"He said he would do whatever it takes to keep us safe."

"Do you believe that? Do you believe that's his real reason?"

Tara took a deep breath. "Yes," she said, but Glenn saw 'no' in her eyes.

…

When Glenn heard the door to C block slam open he knew who it was. No one else had that particular brand of brash presence that he did. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Glenn's blood ran cold. He sat up and saw the Governor towering over Alisha. It was only now that Glenn realized the Governor was wearing a long black coat. _Not a word of goodbye, not even a note. She gone with the man in the long black coat._ Recalling Beth's words sent a shiver down Glenn's spine. The Governor must have seen Glenn move, because he turned to look at him. Glenn heard a gasp. He thought it was Beth. Now that the Governor was facing the cells they could all see that he was covered in blood. Drops and smears of it stained his coat and decorated his face. His knuckles were bloody not just from whoever he had hit, but from hitting somebody so hard that the skin over his knuckles had split. "What did you do?"

Glenn didn't even recognize his own voice. The hoarse croak brought a smile to the Governor's lips. "I did what needed to be done. I taught them a lesson. I avenged Penny."

"Penny was dead you sick freak!" Glenn closed his eyes. Karen hopped down from the top bunk. Glenn forced himself to look at her. She stood next to Glenn with her hands clenched into fists. Glenn had never seen such fury. "Penny died because of you! At least her death was an accident, but what about the others?! We trusted you! You gunned us down like animals!"

The Governor looked surprised. "Karen? How did you survive?"

"Rick saved me," Karen said. "You killed him didn't you?"

The Governor shook his head. "I haven't harmed Rick in any way."

"Do you really expect us to believe that," Glenn asked.

The Governor shrugged. "I don't care what you believe." The Governor stepped closer to the cell and looked at Karen. "I'm glad you made it Karen. I'm sorry to see you in such despicable company, but I'm glad you're alive. It pains me to know that you blame me for your ills, but I suppose I understand. Having me to blame helps you cope with the pain," he said.

"You're going to pay for this. Even if you kill all of us, this will come back to you."

The Governor shook his head. "I'm sorry you have so much hate in your heart."

"Brian," Tara said in a near-whisper. "Are you alright? Where did the blood come from?"

The Governor turned to Tara. "One of the hostages almost escaped, and he attacked me."

"And is he… dead?"

The Governor smiled at her. He put a bloody hand on her shoulder. Despite the fact that he and Tara weren't on the same side, when Glenn saw her shiver in revulsion he felt a pang of sympathy for her. "I didn't have to kill him this time, though perhaps I should have. Our fight was a near thing. I almost died. I'm far more concerned about your life and the lives of the rest of our people than I am my own. Sometimes I forget that if I die I won't be able to protect you."

Tara looked at the bloody hand. Her voice shook. "Well I'm glad you're alright."

"So am I. Now tell me how these extra prisoners got here."

Alisha stepped up. "They ran here from D block. We thought we should secure them."

"You were right," the Governor said. "You made the right call. Good job."

"You aren't mad that we didn't… shoot them," Tara asked.

"Of course not," the Governor said. "If you at any point feel that your life is in danger I don't want you to hesitate to fire, but if they surrendered peacefully and allowed themselves to be confined then of course it's good you didn't kill them. We don't want any unnecessary death."

Tara gave the Governor a weak smile. "I'm really glad you said that."

The Governor squeezed Tara's shoulder and then let her go. A bloody handprint remained on her shirt to mark where the Governor's hand had been. Tara was trembling, but the Governor didn't seem to notice. He walked to the next cell, and Alisha rushed up to Tara and gripped her hand. Tara pulled Alisha into a hug. "It's alright baby," Alisa whispered.

"I don't believe we've met," the Governor said. "What's your name?"

Glenn heard the doctor answer in an uncertain voice. "I am Caleb Subramanian."

"Well Caleb-"

"I prefer Dr. Subramanian."

Glenn saw the Governor smirk. "Very well doctor, and do you know who I am?"

Glenn couldn't see Dr. Subramanian, but he could hear all of his responses. "I have heard of you. You're something of a boogeyman around here. You're the monster children have nightmares about. You're the one who murdered their parents, their brothers and sisters and-"

"Is that what they told you," the Governor asked.

"That's what happened," the doctor insisted.

The Governor shook his head. "I am sorry for you. You have been deceived."

"I assure you I have not. My eyes are very clear." The Governor's smirk turned into a shark's grin. Glenn was deeply unsettled. Part of him was proud of the doctor for standing up to the Governor, but another part wanted Dr. Subramanian to just give in and secure his own safety.

"I truly pity you," the Governor said. Glenn was grateful when, instead of seeking retribution for the obstinacy, the Governor moved on. Glenn's gratitude evaporated when the Governor motioned to the cell door. "Open this," he told Tara. Glenn heard Beth gasp with fear upon the Governor's command. "Go on," the Governor said impatiently. "Open the door."

Alisha stepped forward and unlocked the cell. "Leave her alone," Maggie begged.

The Governor yanked the door forward. "You must be Beth," he said. "Come out here."

"If you want somebody take me," Zack protested.

"How very romantic," the Governor said. "Come out now Beth."

Glenn felt terror sink its roots into his heart. He remembered the state Maggie had been in when they were reunited at Woodbury. If the Governor's intention was to humiliate Beth in a similar way then Glenn could not let that happen. "Governor!" Glenn slammed the heel of his hand against the cell door. The sound bounced all around the room. Glenn's hand throbbed as he glared hatefully at the Governor. The man slowly turned to look at Glenn. "You make a habit out of hurting people who can't, or won't, fight back. Beth isn't part of this. She never was."

"Is that so," the Governor asked.

"I get it," Glenn said. "We played you for a fool. How it must have burned you to know that we were here, with all the survivors of Woodbury, laughing at you. But Beth is barely more than a kid. We're the ones that defied you. She had no part in it. I was one of the people that voted to stay and take you on. Hershel, Carol and Maggie wanted to leave. They wanted to let you have the prison. It was me, Rick, Daryl and Michonne that decided to stay. You already took out your anger on them, but if you still have more, take it out on me. I was a part of it, not her."

The Governor slammed Beth's cell door closed. He walked up to the door to Glenn and Karen's cell. He drew his gun. Glenn heard Karen gasp, and he instinctually stepped in front of her to shield her from any shot. The Governor stared at Glenn. There was a sickness in his eyes that made Glenn feel queasy. Whatever the Governor had done to Rick, Daryl and Michonne had awakened some kind of bloodlust in him. "I'm not here for vengeance Glenn. All I ever wanted was to protect my people. I would have let you go. I would have sent you home with a nice little apology note taped to your jacket. Your friends shot up Main Street. Your wife killed innocent people, friends of mine. I built something, and you…" The Governor placed the gun flat against the bars of the cell. "Your people tore it all down. You destroyed the safe haven I had built."

Maggie spoke up from the adjoining cell. "The one you built by murdering people?"

The Governor looked at his gun. "I protected my own."

"You hunted Michonne down like an animal," Maggie said savagely.

"She is an animal," the Governor whispered. "She killed my daughter."

"Your daughter was dead!" Glenn could hear Maggie panting with rage.

"Brian," Tara whispered. "Is that true? Was your daughter already dead?"

The Governor turned around. He stared at Tara. "I have to go. Keep them under control."

"When are we going to let them go? You said once the prison was secure-"

The Governor was already walking away. "Keep watching them!" The door slammed.

Glenn locked eyes with Tara. He saw it in her. She knew.

…

Glenn timed it on his watch. Twenty minutes was how long it took from the Governor leaving for Tara to speak up. "This isn't right. We should never have come here," she said.

The male guard snorted in amusement. "It's a little late for that," he said.

"It's not," Tara said. "We can still leave."

The man shook his head. "Are you really so stupid that you-"

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that," Alisha said.

"I'll talk to her however I want," the man said. "She's being an ignorant bitch."

"Brian was covered in blood," Tara said. "He was torturing those people he took away."

"We don't know that," the male said.

"Yes we do!" Tara sounded near tears. "He shot that man for no reason. Then he made him get up and walk away. Can you imagine how painful that was? Isn't that torture?"

"It needed to be done," the male guard insisted.

"Why? What did he need them for?"

"It's not our place to ask."

"Well maybe it should be. If we're going to take part, then we have to-"

"Hey!" The man cut Tara off. "That's enough. You've said enough."

"I don't think I have," Tara said. "I think-"

The man raised his gun and pointed it at Tara. "I don't care what you think."

When Glenn heard the shot he thought, for a moment, that the man had shot Tara and with her all of their hopes for escape and survival. When the man fell to the ground and revealed Alisha standing behind him Glenn realized this wasn't the case. Alisha looked stunned. "I…"

Tara stepped back, horrified. "Oh God,"

"He was going to shoot you. I couldn't let that happen. Tara, I love you."

Tara slowly nodded at Alisha. "We have to let these people out."

Alisha forcefully shook her head. "We can't. Tara, they're dangerous."

"Why are they dangerous?! What have they done that's dangerous?!"

"Shhh, Tara they'll hear us. Brian will send somebody to check on us."

"We have to go. We have to free these people and go," Tara insisted.

"Tara…"

"Young lady." Alisha turned around to look at Hershel, who had spoken. "Young lady might I have a word with you? I want only a few moments of your time, I promise," he said.

"Go ahead," Alisha said.

"Before Brian sent you here, were you at a camp with him?"

Alisha hesitated. "Yes."

"Why did Brian send you here, to a place he claimed was occupied by dangerous killers, when you already had a camp? Was this camp unsafe in some way? Did something happen?"

"Our leader died on a run. Pete was a good man and would have been a good leader."

"Would have been?"

"He'd just taken the job. Martinez died in an accident a couple days before."

The name Martinez shook Glenn, but Hershel did not react at all. "One nobody saw?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything," Hershel said. "I'm asking if anybody saw the accident."

"No," Alisha said. "Nobody did." Her voice weakened with every word.

"Martinez died tragically, and then Pete after him, but Brian was there to pick up the pieces and lead you to safety. He knew a better place, one he had never mentioned before."

"Oh my god," Tara said in a tear-strained voice. "It was him. It was always him."

Alisha's voice was infused with panic. "We have to get out of here."

"What about Lily and Meaghan?"

"Tara," Glenn said. "Listen to me. We can help you. We _will_ help you. You have to let us out first though. I promise we will get you and your family out of here, but you have to free us."

"Alisha," Tara said. "Hurry."

Alisha rushed to Glenn's cell. Once she had opened the door Glenn had to force himself not to grab the keys from her hand and free Maggie. He waited for Alisha to open that door, and then he ran in and pulled Maggie into his arms. Glenn buried his face in her neck, and it wasn't long before hot tears were spilling from his eyes. He heard her whisper in his ear. "I love you."

"I love you so much," Glenn replied. "Maggie, I love you _so_ much."

Glenn felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up at Dr. Subramanian. "We need to go."

Glenn nodded. "Yeah, yeah we do." The three of them left the cell. Alisha had freed everyone on the bottom floor by now. "First thing's first, we have to get the kids out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere without my dad," Carl said.

"Carl," Maggie said. "Judith needs you. You have to protect her."

"She needs our dad. We can't leave without him."

Glenn knelt in front of Carl so that they were eye-level. "Listen to me. We have to get the people who can't protect themselves away from where the Governor can reach them. We can't send them alone, or the walkers will get them. You have to protect Judith. That's your job."

"We've all got jobs to do," Beth said. "Right daddy?"

Hershel smiled at his daughter. "Yes pumpkin, and you need to go with the kids."

"You too Maggie," Glenn said.

Both sisters spoke at the same time. "No!"

"Maggie," Glenn said. "What about the baby?"

"We're a team," Maggie said. "We fight together."

"But-"

"I'm with you," Maggie said. "I'm always with you."

Bob, Carol, Sasha, Tyreese and the Samuels family came downstairs. Beth looked at the two girls with their father. "All of the kids that were in D block could still be alive, and if they are then they're in danger. I'm not leaving the prison without them. Protecting them is _my_ job."

Glenn looked from Maggie to Beth. "I hope our kid doesn't inherit the Greene family stubbornness gene," Glenn told his wife. He looked at Tara. "Tell me everything you know about the Governor's plan. I need troop locations and anything else you can think of."

"Please," Tara said. "Most of the people here don't know what he is. They aren't bad people, I swear it. They were tricked by Brian- by the Governor- just like we were."

"We don't want to hurt anybody. We don't even want to fight anybody. We just want to know how to avoid your friends while we get the kids out and look for our people," Glenn said.

Tara nodded. She gathered her composure. "I'll tell you everything I know. Brian didn't tell me a lot, but maybe you can figure out the truth from what he did tell me. He told us we would find everybody living here, capture them, take their weapons and then move them off the premises before returning their weapons to them. He said we would have to make sure the entire population was secure before we could let them go, but after all this time has passed…"

"He never intended to let anybody go, did he," Alisha asked.

"No," Glenn said. "I don't think he did."


	6. Friend

No matter how softly they tried to tread, their steps made sounds. The light sounds seemed deafening in the stillness of the corridor. Glenn gripped Maggie's hand, and Maggie had a hold of Beth's hand that was so tight Beth's fair skin turned paper-white. Tara walked in the front of their line with a tight grip on her gun. Glenn remembered his instructions to her.

"If we're seen raise your gun on me and pretend you just captured us."

"Got it."

"Make sure you point the gun at _me_ , not Maggie or Beth."

"But whoever finds us will probably point their weapons at whoever I don't have in my line of fire, so if you're worried about them getting shot then shouldn't I point my gun at them?"

"That's a good point. If we're seen point the gun at Maggie, but whatever you do, do not shoot her. If you have to shoot somebody for some reason shoot me."

"I won't shoot any of you."

"But if you have to, make sure it's me."

Glenn shook his head. He needed to focus on the here and now. They needed to get to the tombs and find Rick, Michonne and Daryl. They all had jobs to do, and this one was Glenn, Maggie, Beth and Tara's. Alisha, Sasha, Tyreese, Karen, Bob and Zack had gone to locate and free the denizens of D block. Hershel, Carol, Mr. Samuels, Dr. Subramanian and Patrick were sneaking the children out of the prison. Glenn would have preferred for Maggie and Beth to be with that last group, but if they refused to go then he was glad they were with him. Hershel had been none too happy about being separated from his daughters, but with his condition he had to be placed with the group least likely to encounter combat. With any luck none of them would have to fight to accomplish their aims, but Glenn was too smart to count on that. Glenn had no intention of running into any of the Governor's soldiers, but he was well-prepared for that eventuality, should it emerge. Glenn fingered his knife, assuring himself that it was still there.

Glenn wished the cold concrete was softer and absorbed the sounds of their steps, but if wishes were being granted today he would have wished the Governor had never come. He would have wished Michonne and Daryl had found him when they had still been looking all those long months ago. He would have wished the Governor was dead, a steel sword thrust through his other eye. Glenn remembered one more short conversation. As they all prepared to go to their different destinations Hershel had pulled Glenn aside. "I say a prayer every night. Every day we're asked to face these horrible situations, to make these impossible choices. I do the best I can, and I say a prayer every night. I ask God for the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. You have courage Glenn, no one could ever deny that. You have wisdom. Serenity is the hard part."

"Are you saying we might not be able to stop him?"

"I'm saying that when faced with an impossible situation it's not cowardly to run. It is bravery to decide to live to fight another day. Serenity Glenn, Serenity is what you have to find."

"I hope I won't need it, but if I do then I'll use it."

Glenn was jarred from his reverie by a harsh whisper from Tara. "Hear that?"

Glenn listened. They heard steps, louder than their own. There were also voices that by the widening of her eyes Tara seemed to recognize. The cluster of voices was headed straight for them and there was no way to avoid them. "Raise your gun," Glenn hissed. "Tara, raise it."

Tara pointed her gun at Maggie. She looked unsure, terrified. "Shout," Maggie directed.

Tara nodded. She gathered her strength. "Hey! I found some! Hey! Come help me!"

The sounds of walking turned into the sounds of running. Two people with guns raised ran toward them. One pointed a gun at Glenn, and one at Beth. "Good job Tara, you alright?"

"Yeah, what should we do with them?"

"Let's take them to the cells where the Governor put those people from D block."

"Yeah, lead the way. I've got them," Tara said.

The man with his gun raised on Beth lowered it and turned to lead his friends to the cells where Glenn's friends were captive. The man with his gun on Glenn kept his aim steady however, which was no surprise to Glenn. The man leading them had only taken a few steps when Tara turned her gun and used the butt of the weapon as a club on him. The second soldier was too surprised to react for a couple of seconds, and that was all Glenn needed. Glenn grabbed the barrel of the gun and shoved it away. Glenn punched the man in the solar plexus, knocking him onto the ground. Glenn kicked the man in the face when he was down, and then confiscated a pair of handcuffs from his belt. Maggie cuffed the man Tara had taken down while Glenn secured his own hostage. Glenn and Beth pulled one of the men into a cell while Tara and Maggie took care of the other. Karen had the set of keys the Governor had left with Alisha, so they had no way to lock the cell. Glenn just hoped no one came across the men. Glenn and his companions picked up their pace. Soon they were in the tombs. Glenn had no idea which cell the Governor was keeping his friends in. "Maybe we should split up," Tara suggested.

"No," Maggie whispered. "We don't split up."

"It could be me and then you guys. You wouldn't need to leave anyone you care about."

Glenn looked at Tara and saw the guilt and distress on her face. The enormity of what she had been a part of was becoming more real to her with each passing moment. "You are someone we care about," Glenn told her. "We aren't splitting up. We just need to check every cell."

"Shhh," Beth said. "Do you hear that?"

Glenn fell silent. Coming from deeper within the prison, Glenn could hear the sound of someone struggling to breathe. Glenn gestured for Maggie, Beth and Tara to follow him as he headed for the source of the sound. They found it soon enough. All three of them were in the same cell. Glenn saw Michonne first. She was lying on the ground curled into a ball, not making a sound. That was alarming. More alarming were the dark bruises that someone had painted onto her naked skin. Most alarming were the cuts all over her, blood welling out like a tub of red paint someone had poked a hole in. Glenn saw Daryl next. Daryl was hanging by the arms on some kind of hook attached to the ceiling. Something was off, and it took Glenn a moment to realize that there wasn't anything wrapped around his arms to keep him attached to the hook. There was something coming _out_ of his arms. There was wire, _barbed_ wire, running under his skin, sewn into his flesh. The wire was attached to the hook. Daryl also wasn't wearing a shirt, and Glenn could see red bleeding welts on his back. His face and ribs also looked like someone had used them as a punching bag. Glenn saw Rick last. Rick was tied to a chair placed against the far wall of the cell, with a perfect view of the suffering his lover and best friend had undergone while he was powerless to stop it. Rick was bound and gagged, but true to his word the Governor had not harmed him in any way, physically at least. Standing in front of the door to the cell was the man with the shaved head that Glenn remembered had helped the Governor bring Michonne, Daryl and Rick down here. If this man had witnessed all of this then he had to know the truth about the Governor's true nature. Glenn wanted to shoot this man, but he knew there was another way.

"Ready," Glenn asked in a whisper.

"Yeah," Maggie said.

"Now." Glenn pointed his gun at the man and stepped into view. "Put it down!"

The man saw Glenn and started to raise his weapon, but he then realized that he was surrounded and froze. "Tara? What the hell are you doing Tara? Brian will skin you alive."

"Is that what he had in store next for these people," Tara asked in a rankled voice.

"What do you care," the man asked.

"Brian never said anything about torture Mitch!" Tara's voice was infused with a righteous indignation that Glenn certainly understood, but had no time for.

"Put the gun down or we'll shoot you," Glenn said in a cold voice. "Those are your only choices, and you don't have long to make the decision. Nice and slow, put it on the ground."

Mitch started to lower the weapon. Glenn was never sure if Mitch had made a move to fire at one of them, if Beth had thought that was happening or if her finger had slipped. It didn't really matter, because a moment later blood, brain and bone decorated the concrete wall of the corridor, and Mitch was on the ground, minus a portion of his face and the back of his head.

Beth gasped. She dropped her gun. "I-I-I-"

Maggie lowered her gun and pulled her sister into her arms. "It's okay. Shhh…"

Glenn took the keys from Mitch's belt and unlocked the cell door. At first Glenn had no idea what to do. He decided to start with Rick because his uninjured state meant Rick could help Glenn aid Daryl and Michonne. Glenn rushed forward. Glenn saw in Rick's eyes his own horror and disgust multiplied by a magnitude of a thousand. Glenn united Rick's gag. As Glenn pulled the rag out of Rick's mouth the older man tried to shoo him off. "Forget me. Help them."

"I need your help," Glenn said. Glenn cut the rope binding Rick's arms to the chair.

"Just give it to me. I can do it," Rick said impatiently.

Glenn handed Rick his knife so that he could free his own legs. When Glenn stood and turned around he was struck with revulsion all over again. Tara stood on guard outside, either because she was thinking tactically or was too horrified to enter the cell. Maggie was knelt over Michonne, draping her jacket over her and whispering to her. Beth stood next to Daryl, looking completely lost. She had no idea how to get him down. Neither did Glenn. Rick finished freeing himself and then went over to where a spool of barbed wire lay in the corner. Rick picked up a pair of pliers Glenn hadn't noticed. That must have been what the Governor had used to cut the wire he used on Daryl. "How are we going to use those? It's _inside_ his arms," Glenn said.

"We just need to cut the part attached to the hook to get him down." Rick's voice sounded dead. Glenn tried to imagine how he would feel if someone tortured Maggie right in front of him while he was unharmed and helpless. Glenn's brain refused to finish processing that thought, but it made him ill anyways. Daryl was gagged like Rick had been, but he was also blindfolded to make him feel that much more helpless. Beth pulled the blindfold off, but Daryl's eyes were closed so the act was mostly pointless. He seemed barely conscious. Beth untied the gag next, and Glenn could hear with great clarity just how much Daryl was struggling to breathe.

"Why?" Beth sounded close to tears.

Glenn walked over to Daryl. There was no answer to Beth's question. "You keep him from falling and I'll cut the wire," Rick said. Glenn tried to find a part of Daryl's body where he could hold him without hurting him more. Eventually Glenn settled for gripping Daryl by the shoulders, but Glenn felt hot flesh spongy with sopped up blood squish under his hands and heard a whimper of pain. Rick cut the wire, and suddenly Daryl's full weight was on Glenn.

Glenn only had to support Daryl's entire weight for a moment, because as soon as Rick had cut Daryl down he reached for him. The two of them lowered Daryl gently to the ground while Beth went to her sister to help with Michonne. Now that Glenn was in such close proximity to the torn flesh that used to be Daryl's back he could feel the heat radiating out from the deep lacerations. These weren't simple scratches. "What did this," Glenn whispered to Rick.

Rick hesitated to answer, and Glenn immediately felt guilty for the question. "A whip."

If Glenn had eaten breakfast he would have lost it. As it was, he almost threw up the nice dinner they had all shared the day before. Glenn looked over at Michonne. Maggie and Beth had helped her get dressed, and she was no longer curled in a ball. Glenn could see Michonne's face now, split lip, black eyes, broken nose and all. Glenn wanted to go outside and stomp on Mitch's corpse for a little while, but that wouldn't be helpful. Michonne met his gaze. Rick's eyes had been dead, but Michonne's were far from it. There was fire in her gaze. She looked like she was ready to raze the world to the ground just to see the Governor get burned. Glenn was right there with her. Then Michonne saw Tara. "Guys!" Michonne reached for the nearest weapon.

"Whoa!" Maggie gently gripped Michonne's wrist. "She's with us."

Rick saw her too now. "She's one of the Governor's soldiers," he said coldly.

"Tara saved us," Glenn said. "The Governor lied to her about us. The moment she realized what was really going on she helped us get out. She saved us and Carl and Judith too."

Rick looked into the hall, as if expecting to see them there. "Where are they?"

"We sent them out of the prison with the other kids, Hershel, Carol, Dr. S, Patrick and Lizzie and Mika's dad," Glenn explained. "It wasn't safe for them here. We need to get you guys out of here and to where they are." Glenn looked from Daryl to Michonne. How they were going to do that was a bit of a problem. Daryl barely seemed aware, and Michonne didn't look like she was in any condition to be standing, much less walking. "We can't stay here." Glenn repeated what needed to happen as though that would make it magically take place. It didn't.

"I still don't think we can trust her," Michonne said angrily.

"We need her," Glenn insisted. "We don't have time to argue. Tara, you said the Governor's people came in through the tombs. Did he leave a guard at the spot he got in?"

Rick cut in. "By came in you mean she led them in right?"

"Rick she didn't know," Glenn said. "She's as much a victim in this as we are."

"Oh is that right?" Rick's voice dripped with venom. "I don't see the bruises and cuts all over her. Tell me Glenn, just how is she a victim? How is she innocent in this when she led the Governor into our home?! We took her in and she brought a mass murder into the place where we sleep, where our children sleep! How can you defend her?! Are you delusional?!"

"Rick," Maggie hissed. "We have to be quiet."

"Why? One of the Governor's people has already found us."

Glenn made sure to keep his voice at an intense whisper. "Shut up. I am not going to let you get us all killed. I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but now is not the time to have a mental breakdown. We have to find a way to get Daryl and Michonne through the tombs, and we can't do that with you shouting our location to the Governor. We need Tara and that's the end of it." Glenn stared at Rick. The two men locked eyes, engaged in a battle of wills Glenn was determined to win. Eventually Rick calmed down. It felt like forever, but really it was only a few seconds until the tumultuous waves in Rick's eyes stilled into a calmer blue.

"You trust her?" Rick did not break Glenn's gaze as he spoke.

"I do."

Rick nodded. "Fine, then we'll follow her out."

Tara spoke up, her voice a nervous stutter. "I can get us to where Brian- the Governor came through. He didn't leave anybody behind, said there was no need. The spot where we came through borders the woods. Can you get to the rendezvous point from there Glenn," she asked.

"Yeah," Glenn said. He explained the situation to Rick. "We all agreed to meet up at that strip mall we picked clean. Carl and Judith should be there by the time we get there."

"And if they're not?"

"They will be," Glenn said. "Trust me." There was desperation in Glenn's voice.

"I always trust you Glenn," Rick said. "I have from the start."

Glenn looked at Maggie. "Do you and Beth have Michonne?"

"I can walk," Michonne snapped.

"Not without our help," Maggie said. "But luckily our help is something you have."

Michonne let Maggie and Beth pull her to her feet. The expression on her face revealed that the movement greatly exacerbated her pain. She suffered silently however. Glenn and Rick pulled Daryl to his feet, but they were going to have to drag him, because he was completely out of it. Glenn felt his friend's forehead. He was burning up. "We need to hurry. Hershel and Dr. S can look them over, but only once we get to them." Glenn refused to consider the possibility that either of his friends might not make it there. Glenn saw no point to that line of thought.

"This way," Tara said. She stood at the front of their line, weapon ready. As the only one unencumbered by having to carry somebody Tara was their only defense against any of the Governor's soldiers they might encounter. Glenn said a silent prayer that they wouldn't happen across any. With Tara's nerves in their current state she might not even be able to shoot straight.

Glenn's prayer was answered. Tara led them through the prison. She hadn't lied when she said she was good with directions. She remembered the path they took perfectly and never hesitated at a turn. Soon they came to the end of the secured section of the prison. Glenn saw a gate, which used to be welded shut, had been pried open. A few boards had been nailed up to prevent walkers from following the Governor's army, but the flimsy boards were clearly only meant to hold for a short time. Tara pried the boards off easily. There were no walkers on the other side of the barricade, another stroke of good luck that made Glenn nervous about the possibility that maybe they were using up all their luck. Although, after the Governor infiltrated their home and abducted their people maybe they were due some good luck. They eventually came out in the woods. The sun had risen, but it was not yet noon. The fact that everything Glenn had just been through took only a single night grated on Glenn. The forest was eerily quiet, as though the trees were holding their breath. Glenn was tempted to hold his too. The first walker they came across was a loner, and Tara beat it to death with her rifle. When she was finished she stood stock-still in front of the corpse. "Tara," Glenn whispered. "We've got to move."


	7. Son

They hadn't entered the strip mall yet when Glenn's heart sank. Somehow he knew just by looking at the building. The world the way it was now honed your instincts and sometimes you just knew a thing without knowing how. You didn't question it. Of course they checked inside anyway, but Glenn found no surprises. "Dad!" Beth's shout cut into Glenn's heart.

Glenn's shoulder throbbed painfully from carrying half of Daryl's weight all the way from the prison. Glenn and Rick lowered Daryl onto the ground, trying to situate him to be as comfortable as possible. Maggie and Beth helped Michonne take a seat. "They must have gotten delayed somehow," Glenn said. "Tara and I will go back and look for them."

"I'm going with you," Rick said.

"We can't leave Daryl and Michonne alone with only two people to guard them."

"You stay. I'm not waiting here while the Governor could have my children."

"Just stay here Glenn," Beth said. "Stay here with me and Maggie."

Glenn considered it for a moment, but only a moment. "I can't. What's happening right now, to our friends, to Hershel, to Carl and Judith, is my fault. I have to make it right."

Rick looked at Glenn like he'd just grown a third head. "What are you talking about?"

Glenn looked at Tara. He hated to say this in front of her. He didn't want to hurt her, but he had to explain himself. "I brought Tara and Alisha here. I asked them the three questions, and I showed them around the prison. I spent more time with them than anybody, but I didn't notice that anything was off. I even heard them arguing about how Tara 'couldn't do it' and stupidly thought she meant adjust to life with a big group. None of this would have happened if I'd just shown a little common sense." Now that the floodgates were open Glenn felt the shame and devastation begin to overwhelm him. "I'm the one that made the decision to split up. I'm the one that told Hershel which route to take out of the prison. If anything happened to them…"

Glenn realized his breathing was accelerated and he felt burning tears pushing against the back of his eyes. Maggie placed her hand on his back. "Glenn you can't believe that," she said.

"Of course I can. It's the truth."

"It's not," Rick said softly. "You did what we all do when we're on runs."

"But I wasn't on a run. They ran right up the gates and I wasn't suspicious. Carol thought something was off, I could tell. The only reason she let it go was because I trusted them, and the only reason I trusted them is because I'm an idiot." The tears came. Glenn tried to stop them, but they refused to heed him. The hot water slipped down his skin, which was taking on a red hue.

"Glenn," Rick put his hand on Glenn's shoulder. "Glenn you saved us."

Glenn shook his head. He didn't see it that way. It didn't matter though. There was work to be done and no time for self-pity. "Tara, you stay here with Maggie and Beth. Rick and I will go after the others. That ruse we used before probably won't work anymore anyway."

"But-"

Glenn didn't let Tara finish. "I will get Alisha, and I will look for Lily and Meaghan, but you have to stay here. This is how we help each other. You protect my family. I'll find yours."

Maggie took hold of Glenn's hand. "Glenn you should stay. If my dad is-"

"Don't. Please don't say it Maggie."

Maggie leaned her forehead against Glenn's. "Bring him back. Bring Carl, Judith and the other kids back. I know you can. I believe in you. I love you." Maggie gave Glenn a long kiss.

…

Glenn walked behind Rick. The awkward silence between the two men grew heavier and heavier, but Glenn knew he couldn't break it. If Rick was going to talk about what happened it had to be because Rick wanted to, not because Glenn pried. Glenn honestly wasn't expecting Rick to say anything, so he was very surprised when he did. "He didn't touch me, not once."

"The Governor?" Glenn knew who it was, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Yeah." For a moment Glenn thought that would be all. It wasn't. "That thing he did to Daryl's arms was how he started. They had him tied to a chair and the Governor cut open his arms, taking care to avoid the veins. When they had the wire in they strung him up. He tried not to scream or give any sign of how painful it was, but they sewed barbed wire _into his arms_."

Glenn saw that Rick was shaking. "That'd be too much pain for anybody."

"I begged the Governor to leave them alone. I told him to hurt me and let them go, but it was like the more I begged the more enjoyment he got out of it. Eventually I stopped begging and just kept telling him what a sick bastard he was. That was when he had his lackey gag me."

"There's nothing you could have-"

Rick wasn't interested in assurances apparently. "He made her strip. He just wanted to humiliate her, and it worked. He beat her over and over again. He told her to stay down, but she kept getting back up. She wouldn't let him break her. Eventually she didn't have the strength to stand anymore. He grinned. He looked so pleased with himself. I wanted to make him choke on his own teeth, but I was tied to that stupid chair." The cold fury in Rick's voice was frightening.

"She knows you-"

Again, Rick ignored Glenn. "Before he started whipping Daryl he told this story about one time when Merle was still at Woodbury. There'd been a successful raid and the two of them were celebrating with a bottle of scotch. Apparently the two got to reminiscing. The Governor told Merle about his brother, and then Merle told the Governor about how he used to protect his baby brother from their old man. The Governor, he cut off Daryl's shirt and revealed all of those awful scars, the ones he hates for people to see. He told Daryl that Merle must not have done a very good job. I saw all the fight go out of him. It was slow. Lash by lash he wore him down."

Glenn shivered. He couldn't even picture it. Daryl was one of the strongest people that Glenn knew. The idea of Daryl giving up was alien to Glenn. "He'll…" Glenn didn't know how to finish that sentence. Glenn wasn't going to say that he'd get over it. On top of being trivializing it might not even be true. For all Glenn knew Daryl might never recover from what the Governor did to him. "He has you. He has Judith, Carl and the rest of us. We'll help him and Michonne get through this." Glenn knew it was weak, but it was the best he had.

"We don't even know if my children are still alive."

"They are," Glenn insisted.

"You can't promise me that."

It was true. He couldn't. Glenn stopped. "Hey."

Rick turned around. "What?" Rick sounded impatient.

"I don't know what's going to happen next, but I know that we'll get through it, together, just like we always do. Hershel always says that we just need to believe, so that's what we're going to do. It doesn't have to be God. I know you don't think He exists. Just believe."

Rick scoffed. "I think God exists. Hell I know he does. Just so happens he hates me."

Glenn didn't know how to respond to that. Rick turned back around and they walked the rest of the way in silence. Glenn remembered his earlier silent prayers, and he decided to send one more God's way. He prayed to God not to hate Rick Grimes.

…

Glenn heard the shouting even when they were still deep in the tombs. "Well look again!"

Glenn looked at Rick. "I think he knows you're gone," Glenn whispered.

"We need to hurry," Rick replied.

The two of them made their way forward. They were as stealthy as possible, but they both knew the odds of making it all the way to D block unseen were slim. Glenn could feel his heart pounding by the waves of blood breaking against his eardrums. Soon they could hear voices, and the men stopped to listen. "Please," Hershel said. "You don't have to do this."

"Be quiet old man. Your people killed Mitch and Tara, so I don't need too much of a reason to put you down." So the Governor had told his men Tara was dead. That made sense.

"Tara let us-"

"I said be quiet!"

"It takes a lot of balls to pick on an old man." Glenn's heart sank when he recognized Karen's voice. That meant both groups had been captured. "Why don't you lay off the bluster?"

"If you don't know how to hold your tongue I got something here that could do the trick."

"Don't talk to her like that." That was Tyreese.

"Is this your bitch? Tell her to can it."

Glenn heard footsteps down the hall. He and Rick retreated around the corner and caught a glimpse of the Governor walking past. If he had stopped for a moment they might have been able to get a shot, but he was there and gone in an instant. The Governor wasted no time, because only seconds after he passed they heard him giving directions to his men. "Lock the old man in a cell with…" The Governor took a moment to decide. "That one. Lock them up together."

"What are you doing," Sasha asked.

"Be quiet, or I'll switch him out for your brother."

"What are you talking about," Tyreese asked. "What are you going to do?"

They heard the sound of a cell being opened and closed. Glenn had no idea what the Governor had in store for his father-in-law, but he knew it was bad. "Listen old man. If you don't tell me where your children have gone off to then I'll have no choice but to make an example out of you. Either answer my questions or I put a bullet in your chest and let you turn. You'll eat the kid alive. Are you really willing to let him suffer that kind of fate? Are you that cruel?"

Glenn's blood ran cold. Before Rick could stop him Glenn ran into the cellblock with his hands in the air. His body was riddled with bullets before he had time to utter a word. Glenn took in a deep breath. _Serenity._ Glenn searched his brain top to bottom for a solution. _Somebody said, from the bible he'd quote. There was dust on the man in the long black coat._ There was no way to get into the cellblock without being seen by the Governor and all his men. There was no way to get a line on any of them from outside the cellblock. There was no way to save Hershel.

"Kill me if you must, but spare the boy."

"That isn't how this works." The Governor sounded amused. How could his people still be so blind as to not see him for what he was? _In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king._

"Patrick has never done you any wrong." Glenn hated himself in that moment, because he felt a flash of relief that it wasn't Carl. Glenn liked Patrick. He cared about what happened to him, but this situation was revealing everybody's true priorities. What you loved was revealed by what you chose to keep safe when safety was gone. "He's little more than a child," Hershel said.

"But he is more than a child. He is of fighting age."

That was when it hit Glenn. That was when he knew. "The admin building," he hissed.

"What?"

"The admin building is separate from the main building. You could surround it with guards and make sure no one got in or out. I bet he put Lily and Meaghan there to protect them."

"Glenn I don't really give a shit about Tara's sister and niece right now."

"Judith isn't in there. With all this yelling she'd be bawling her eyes out. I bet he put all the children in with Lily and Meaghan to keep up his charade to his people. If we get to the building we can rescue the children and then use Lily as bait to ambush the Governor."

Glenn saw the understanding come into Rick's eyes. "We'd never make it there in time to save them. By the time we secure the administration building and draw him out Hershel and Patrick will be dead. If we leave it's the same thing as killing them ourselves," Rick said.

Glenn nodded. He knew. No matter how long the Governor stalled and postured for they still wouldn't make it in time. "We can't save Hershel. He knew this might happen. He told me I had to have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the courage to change the things I can. Hershel's dead Rick. If we try to save him then we are too. But we can still save the kids."

Rick looked at the ground. "I know you're right. Guess I was wrong. It's you God hates."

…

Glenn and Rick were still in hearing range when the Governor took the shot. They heard the screams and the cries of their friends who bore witness to it. They heard Patrick begging for his life. They kept going. _Preacher was talking. There's a sermon he gave. He said every man's conscience is vile and depraved._ Glenn shook his head. He pictured the man who had been a father to him with a bloody hole in his chest. He imagined how it must feel to have your life slowly leak out of you, knowing you would never see your children again or even find out if they made it out alive. Although Hershel believed he would see his children again. At the moment this comforted Glenn not at all. Glenn knew Rick hadn't meant to be cruel when he said that God hated him, after all Rick didn't have a high opinion of God. Still, the words echoed in Glenn's head, drowning out all other thought. Did God hate Glenn? Was this all just a tease? Was the safety and the happiness and the family and the wife and the baby all just a setup for God to play the world's cruelest practical joke on Glenn? _You cannot depend on it to be your guide when it's you who must keep it satisfied_. Glenn refused to believe that. He refused to believe that Hershel's life, that any of their lives, had so little meaning. There had to be another explanation.

"You were right."

"What?"

Rick pointed. Glenn saw the guards outside the admin building. "I think I can get over to that one and slit his throat. You take out the other one at the same time and it should be quiet."

"Right, let's go." As Glenn positioned himself to sneak up on the man he was responsible for incapacitating he remembered Tara. It was possible this man had been guarding the children the entire time. Maybe he hadn't seen any of the Governor's crimes. Maybe he was just as naïve and innocent as Tara. Before he had time to change his mind Glenn knocked the guard in the back of the head with his gun. Glenn shoved a rag in the man's mouth and bound his hands behind his back. Glenn was still in the process of securing the guard when he heard an approach.

Glenn whirled around and raised his weapon. Rick was staring at him with an expression of absolute disbelief. "What are you doing? Why didn't you just slit his throat?"

"Maybe he didn't know."

"Are you kidding me with this?"

"Just help me. I'm almost done."

Rick and Glenn efficiently finished with the guards and then made their way inside the administration building, where there were sure to be more. Rick stopped Glenn with a hand on the shoulder. "My only priority right now is our people. Are we on the same page with that?"

"We didn't have to kill him. If we'd needed to I would have. We didn't."

"These people just killed Hershel," Rick hissed.

"The Governor just killed Hershel. If things were different these people could have been at Woodbury. They could have been here. If we have to kill them we will, but maybe we won't have to. I'm going to honor Hershel's memory by being the man he thought I was," Glenn said.

"Even if it gets his children and grandchild killed?"

In that moment Glenn wanted to slug Rick. Glenn reminded himself of everything Rick had disclosed to him. Daryl and Michonne's torture had destabilized Rick, and Glenn refused to hold anything Rick said in this state against him. "I can protect my family. That's what I've been doing this whole time. You said you trust me. So trust me. I'm not killing any of these people unless we have to in order to rescue our people. That's the right thing to do. That's the kind of thing you were trying to teach Carl. That's what separates us from the Governor."

"Glenn?"

Glenn turned around. When he saw Alisha standing there holding a gun, unencumbered by any restraints, he almost threw everything he'd just said out the window. When he saw evidence that she had betrayed them he almost shot her right then and there. _It ain't easy to swallow; it sticks in the throat. She gave her heart to the man in the long black coat._ "Alisha?"

Alisha lowered her weapon. "Thank God. I was getting worried. We tried that 'I found some' trick when a patrol ran across us, but there were too many of them to take on, so Karen told me to find the kids. She said you would come back for us. It looks like she was right."

Glenn was pretty sure he had whiplash. "How many other guards?"

"Three inside. There were four, but I relieved one, so now it's just three. We can each get the drop on one and then get the kids and Lily out. All the kids that were with your father-in-law are here, but I don't know what they did with him or the other people escorting them," she said.

The pain that gripped Glenn's heart with its icy fingers wasn't something he was prepared for, but he knew he had to fight past it. "The Governor- Brian- whoever he is shot him."

A horrified expression took over Alisha's face. "Why?"

"He wouldn't say where we were going," Glenn said.

Alisha searched Glenn's face. "You must hate me so much."

 _There are no mistakes in life some people say._ "No," Glenn said. _It is true sometimes you can see it that way._ "I don't hate you." _But people don't live or die; people just float._ "I hate what you did." _She went with the man in the long black coat._ "I forgive you. Hershel would."

"He sounds like a great man," Alisha said.

"He was. He is. Take us to the other guards."


	8. Husband

Glenn was pleased that neither he, Rick nor Alisha had to use lethal force to subdue the people guarding the room Alisha explained held the children and Lilly. Rick was confused as to why Lilly was the only adult not participating in subduing the prison, but Alisha's comment about how some men will always prioritize keeping their dick warm seemed to clear things up for him. When Alisha opened the door to the room the first thing Glenn noticed was Carl, cuffed once again, holding his little sister. "Dada!" Rick ran into the room as fast as possible. He pulled his children into his arms and wept. "Dada! Udy scad!" Rick held Judith close to his chest and wrapped his remaining arm around Carl. Glenn saw Carl bury his face in his father's shoulder.

"Alisha what's going on? Who are these men?" Glenn looked at the pretty woman holding tight to the hand of a little girl. "Where's Brian? He's been gone a long time."

"Lilly," Alisha said. "Brian lied to us."

"What are you talking about?"

"Glenn! Glenn!" Molly ran toward Glenn. Tears stained her face, which was decorated with terror. "Those men took us away from Carol and Hershel! They made us come here!"

Glenn picked up Molly. "It's alright sweetheart. We're going to keep you safe."

Alisha continued to talk to Lilly. "These people didn't do any of the stuff that Brian said they did. He killed a bunch of them, and he tortured some too. He lied about his daughter and the place where he lived before. He's the one that killed the people there, not this group."

"I can't believe that," Lilly said.

"It's true," Alisha said. "We watched him gun down two innocent people."

"Brian wouldn't-"

Glenn didn't have time for this. "He locked my father-in-law in with a teenager and then shot him in the chest so he would turn and devour the kid. He was trying to intimidate him into telling him where my pregnant wife and I were so that he could kill us. The Gov- Brian is a sick bastard who will kill anybody who gets in his way, or just annoys him in general," Glenn said.

"It's true," Alisha confirmed. "He killed Pete and Martinez."

"No, Pete was on a supply run and-"

"One none of us knew he was going on? Pete had never just took off without telling anybody before. Martinez wasn't the kind of guy to fall into a walker pit either. Even if he was drunk, he was smarter than that. Brian killed them, and he'll kill us too just for knowing that if he finds us. We have to help Glenn rescue his people and get the hell out of here," Alisha said.

Rick interrupted. "Do you have the keys for these?" He gestured to Carl's cuffs.

Alisha went outside to search the incapacitated guards. Lilly clutched her daughter tightly as she stared at Glenn and Rick. "Dada where Ayl? Where Beh? Where Moe?" Judith's pleas for the rest of their family cut Rick. Glenn could see the pain on his face, and Glenn ached for him.

"Glenn," Lizzie Samuels said. "Where's our dad?"

Glenn couldn't lie to her. "The Governor has him, but we have a plan to rescue him."

"You are making a huge mistake," Lilly said. "Brian plans to let you all go once he has the prison. You should just surrender instead of putting yourselves and others in danger."

"Shut up," Rick said harshly.

"Rick," Glenn said softly. "It's not her fault."

"That doesn't mean I should have to listen to her drivel."

Alisha returned with the key to Carl's cuffs. She quickly freed the child. "We should get these kids to where Tara and your wife are." Glenn looked at all the children in the room.

Rick voiced what Glenn was thinking. "There are too many. The only way to keep them safe is to finish this. We stick with the plan. We draw the Governor here and end him."

Glenn heard Lilly's frantic voice. "Are you talking about Brian?!"

…

Glenn checked his rifle and ammo. He was ready. He knew what he needed to do and was prepared to do it. He saw Molly and Luke huddled together in a corner of the room and decided to walk over to them. He knelt in front of them. "Hey. It's going to be okay, but I need you to listen close. If anything goes wrong, if the Governor gets in here, no matter what anybody says or does you run. Run and hide. Don't let him find you. That's the most important thing."

Molly nodded gravely. "Yes Mr. Glenn."

Glenn smiled. "It's just Glenn Molly."

Molly gave Glenn a weak smile. "Okay Glenn. Don't get hurt, okay?"

Glenn put his hand on her shoulder and smiled before standing. Glenn headed to the window in the front of the building. Rick, Alisha and Carl were all armed and ready to engage the enemy. This was it. Rick had Judith strapped to his chest in a baby carrier. He wasn't letting either of his children out of his sight again. Lilly's hands were bound in front of her as Alisha held tight to her arm. Glenn flinched. "I'm sorry it has to be this way," he said. "I hope that when this is all over you'll understand. We won't let any harm come to you during this."

"I'm supposed to believe that," Lilly asked.

"I don't care what you believe," Rick said.

Glenn nodded at Alisha. "Are you ready?"

Alisha nodded.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do it?"

"I started this. I'll finish it."

"Okay," Glenn said. "Let's do this." Glenn got into position.

Alisha led Lilly outside. "Brian! Come outside! We need to talk!"

For a span of time that seemed like an eternity to Glenn, but was really only as long as it took for the Governor to look through a window and then come outside, there was complete silence in the yard. When the Governor stepped outside Glenn felt hate course through his veins as he tried to line up a shot. The Governor sneered at Alisha. "I should have known better than to trust a pair of rug-munchers. What did they offer you? Your pick of the pretty young girls in their group? Did they give you the lovely blond chick? Or is Rick using that one?"

"Brian!" Lilly sounded appalled.

"What did you do with Meaghan?" Brian's fists were clenched.

"They didn't hurt her," Lilly said. "They say they just want you to leave."

The Governor raised his voice. "You know I can't do that Rick. Why don't you come out here and we'll discuss this like men? There's no need for us to use a go-between."

Glenn heard Rick's loud whisper. "Do you have a shot?"

Glenn looked over at Rick and shook his head. Glenn saw Carl do the same. Rick's face was overcome with fury. Glenn looked back at the scene. They needed the Governor to take just a few steps forward. Alisha had to know this. It was all up to her. "He's not going to come out."

The Governor didn't even look at Alisha. "What's the matter Rick? Are you afraid I'll do to you what I did to Michonne and Daryl? How are they anyway? Are they in there with you?"

"Why did you torture those people," Alisha demanded. "You said you just wanted a safe place for all of us. How does torturing somebody accomplish that? Why did you really bring us here Brian? Was this all just so you could get vengeance on some people from your past?"

"Brian is that true?" Lilly sounded heartbroken. "Did you torture people?"

"Let Lilly go," Brian told Alisha.

"So you can shoot me? I don't think so," Alisha said.

"Brian this has to stop," Lilly said. "I'm scared. Please, we can go somewhere else."

The Governor stared at Lilly. "You're working with them, aren't you?"

"What? No, I just want to leave. These people have Meaghan. If you agree to leave they'll let her go. I just want us to be a family Brian. I thought you wanted that too."

"Lilly, why couldn't you just trust me," Brian asked. "I was going to get a home for us."

"We can live somewhere else. This isn't worth-"

Glenn didn't understand what he was seeing at first. The Governor's rifle went off with a bang, and a large red stain spread across Lilly's shirt. Alisha backed away from the corpse with an expression of horror on her face. Glenn knew Alisha was next, so he began to lay down cover fire so she could escape. Alisha ran as the Governor stayed ducked behind a wall. Bullets came flying out of windows in the prison, and Glenn knew any chance of saving the Governor's other soldiers had just flown completely out the window. Gunfire was exchanged back and forth between the two buildings. With only three shooters in the admin building, and a hell of a lot more than that in the prison, the Governor's people had the advantage. Eventually Glenn, Rick and Carl were going to run out of ammo. Glenn stopped firing. "Where did he go?!"

Rick looked over at Glenn. "What?!"

"Where did the Governor-"

Glenn heard a woman's scream inside the building. It sounded like Alisha and made Glenn's heart sink. Rick stared at Glenn. Alisha must have ran inside for shelter and been followed by the Governor. "Stay here!" Glenn didn't want Judith or Carl to be put in danger.

Glenn ran towards the sound. He heard shots, a lot of shots. Glenn burst into the room where the children had been hiding. Glenn stood completely still. The floor was covered with small bloody bodies. Glenn felt something heavy hit him. The next thing Glenn knew he was on the ground with the Governor on top of him. The Governor had his hands around Glenn's neck and was squeezing hard. Glenn thrashed about in a struggle to escape. He swung his fists in every direction he could, hoping to hit something. He heard a dark chuckle. "I was always surprised that you never came back to Woodbury. I made your wife strip for me. I could have had her. I almost did." The sinister whispers enraged Glenn. He didn't think the anger was responsible for the red spots in his vision though. He was pretty sure those were a result of the oxygen deprivation. "I thought for sure you would come back to get your vengeance. What kind of man lets his wife be humiliated by another man and then does nothing? Well Glenn?"

Glenn jammed his knee into the Governor's gut. He heard a loud grunt and slammed his head into the Governor's face. Glenn felt sticky hot blood on his forehead. Glenn squirmed partially out from under the Governor, lining up his shoulder with his foe's mouth. Glenn hit the Governor with his shoulder, cutting the man's lips with his own teeth. Glenn managed to get to his feet. Glenn screamed with fury. He kicked the Governor repeatedly. "Why couldn't you just leave us alone?! All we wanted was a safe place for our families! Why did you have to take that from us?! Why did you do this?! Murderer!" Glenn kicked all over the Governor's body.

Glenn felt a hand yank his ankle forward and landed hard on his ass. Glenn started to get up, but the Governor was already on him, holding a knife to his throat. The Governor's face was covered with blood. It leaked from his mouth and nose. Glenn grabbed the wrist that held the knife and held the hand at bay with all of his strength. "Why should you get to have what was stolen from me?" The Governor's hiss was barely discernable through the blood. "Why should you have peace and happiness when everything that I have ever loved was destroyed?!"

Glenn felt his muscles weakening. This was the most high-stakes bout of arm-wrestling he'd ever witness, and he was going to lose. Glenn saw movement behind the Governor, and before he could identify who it was that had entered the room she had already jammed her knife into the Governor's neck. Blood spilled onto Glenn. The red fluid was hot, hotter than Glenn thought blood was supposed to be. He was repulsed by it. Glenn was repulsed by the Governor's blood more than he had ever been repulsed by any walker's sagging decayed flesh. Glenn tried to scrabble out from under the Governor, but the floor and his hands were slick with blood. The red was everywhere. Glenn closed his eyes. _There's smoke on the water._ He felt a hand on his own and let it pull him to his feet. _It's been there since June._ When Glenn opened his eyes he was face to face with his wife. Her face was dotted with arterial spray. "I had to come," she said.

Glenn reached up to wipe a drop of blood from her face, but when he saw the blood dripping from his hands he dropped them. "You killed him. It's over." Glenn felt as though his legs were turning to Jell-O. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in Maggie's arms and sleep.

"Not yet," she said. "He'll come back." She started forward.

"I'll do it," Glenn said. "Let me do this part."

Maggie nodded. _Tree trunks uprooted beneath the high crescent moon._ Glenn went over to the corpse and yanked Maggie's knife out of its neck. _Feel the pulse and vibration and the rumbling force._ Glenn stood over the body. He thought about the sound of the gunshot echoing through the prison. _Somebody is out there beating on a dead horse._ He thought about Patrick begging for mercy. _She never said nothing._ He thought about the welts on Daryl and the bruises on Michonne. _There was nothing she wrote._ He thought about Andrea and the corpses of the deceived that were left to turn or rot on the side of the road. _She gone with the man in the long black coat._ Glenn thrust the knife into the Governor's skull, ensuring that he would never return.

Glenn stood up and looked at his wife. "I'm so sorry."

Maggie looked at the corpses of the children on the floor. "It wasn't your fault."

"I left him. I left Hershel behind because I knew I couldn't save him, but I thought I could protect the kids. He told me to have serenity, and I thought that was what he meant."

Maggie stared at Glenn with wide eyes. "Is he…"

"He's dead. They're dead." Glenn gestured at the children. "They're all dead Maggie."

Maggie threw herself into Glenn's arms. "It's not your fault."

"Maggie-"

"Mr. Glenn?" Glenn looked up towards the door, where the tiny voice had come from.

Molly stood in the doorway holding Luke's hand. "Molly?"

"We heard a lady scream, so we ran and hid just like you said."

Glenn felt tears begin to stream down his face. "Good job. I'm so proud of you."

There were footsteps in the hall. Carl arrived first. He looked into the room and then promptly fell to his knees and threw up. Tara was next. When she saw the contents of the room she immediately turned around to intercept Beth. Glenn only saw a flash of blond hair as Tara held onto Beth and kept her from entering the room. Glenn and Maggie left the room, closing the door behind them. They couldn't deal with this yet. Rick showed up next, holding Mika in his arms and walking next to Lizzie, who held Judith. Mika's face was buried in Rick's chest, but Lizzie looked almost serene. Tara looked around. "Has anybody seen Alisha? Or my sister?"

Glenn was heartbroken for her. "Tara-"

Glenn heard Alisha's voice. She entered the hall and called out to her lover with a heartbroken voice. "Tara!" Alisha was holding Meaghan in her arms. She was weeping.

Tara ran toward her girlfriend and niece. "Alisha! What happened?!"

"He shot her Tara. It's all my fault." Alisha's head dropped into Tara's breast, and Tara could only hold her lover and let her weep. Beth ran up to her sister. Beth ignored the fact that Maggie was covered in blood and hugged her fiercely. Glenn watched red stain her golden locks.

Rick practically barked at Tara. "Where are Daryl and Michonne?"

Tara jumped, but then quickly answered. "We found a truck behind the mall. Daryl's in the back sleeping, and Michonne drove. They're parked right outside the gate in case we needed to make a quick getaway. We uh… had to reopen that one hole in the fence to get in, but we'll close it right back up." A realization seemed to hit Tara. "Unless of course you're going to kill us for what we did. Just don't punish Meaghan. She's only a little girl. None of this was her fault."

"We're not going to kill you," Glenn said quickly. "We wouldn't do that."

Carl regained some of his composure and took his baby sister from Lizzie. He held her close to him. "Caul!" Judith gripped Carl's hair in her tiny fists, but he didn't protest at all.

"Glenn!" Glenn recognized the voice coming from outside the building. He'd heard Sasha shout at him the same way on dozens of runs, alerting him to danger or telling him it was time to move his ass. Glenn ran outside. There she was. Tyreese, Carol, Karen, Dr. Subramanian, Zack and Bob were there as well. The seven of them looked bone-tired. Glenn realized that he probably did too. They all looked like they'd just escaped from hell. In a way they had.

"How did you escape the Governor's people?"

"They're dead," Carol said.

"We ended it," Karen elaborated. "They were distracted by shooting at you, so Carol, Sasha, Bob and I took them out. We each grabbed one. We had their guns before anybody knew what was happening. Most of them were dead before they even got a chance to turn around."

"The Governor never came back in though," Tyreese said. "We don't know where he is."

"Hell," Maggie said. "I sent him there." Glenn turned around and saw that everybody had followed him outside. Beth was leaning on her sister, looking near to catatonia. Glenn shivered.

"Where are Daryl and Michonne," Sasha asked.

Glenn looked at the gate and saw the truck Tara had mentioned. He pointed. "There."

"Are they okay," Carol asked.

"No," Rick said sharply. "They're not."

"They need medical attention," Maggie said softly. "We need to get them inside."

"Bob and I can treat them in the infirmary," Dr. Subramanian said.

Glenn started toward the gate. Rick put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get Daryl and Michonne while you deal with _them_." Rick flicked his eyes at Tara and Alisha.

Glenn started to ask Rick what he wanted Glenn to do with them. Glenn remembered why Rick hadn't come to the last council meeting. Rick hadn't wanted to lead. What happened to Tara and Alisha wasn't really Rick's call. Glenn nodded. He would handle it. "Okay."


	9. Father

As Rick walked away Glenn gestured to Carol and Sasha to walk a short distance from the rest of the group with him. They walked only far enough away so as not to be overheard by their friends. "I want to invite Tara and Alisha to stay with us," Glenn said.

Carol stared at Glenn. "Are you insane? They brought the Governor here."

Sasha shook her head. "We can't trust them. We'll never be able to trust them."

"They helped save us," Glenn said.

"From a situation they put us in," Carol said.

"How are they any different from the people from Woodbury," Glenn asked.

"You mean the people the Governor just slaughtered? You mean the friends we watched be gunned down by a psychopath twenty minutes ago?" Sasha's voice shook with anger.

"If we send Tara, Alisha and Meaghan out there alone they'll die," Glenn said.

"We can take Meaghan," Carol said. "She's innocent. Tara and Alisha are another story."

"They won't survive on their own," Glenn said.

"That's not our problem," Sasha said. "Our people are our problem."

"And we don't have enough anymore, bottom line," Glenn said. "We don't have enough people to man the fences or go on runs anymore. Especially not with Daryl and Michonne laid up like they are. He's not going to heal for a while, and he brings in most of our food," Glenn said.

"All of the problems you just mentioned," Sasha said. "They caused." She pointed at Tara and Alisha. "They are the reason your child will never have a grandparent."

Glenn flinched. That comment hurt. It didn't so much cut him as pour vinegar into an already bleeding laceration. "Hershel would forgive them. He would tell us to be merciful."

"Hershel can't tell us anything anymore," Carol said angrily.

"That's why I'm speaking for him," Glenn whispered.

Sasha sighed. "What about Maggie and Beth? Do you really think they'll feel comfortable with them here? What about the Samuels girls for that matter? Is it right to ask them to live with the women responsible for their father's deaths? It's a noble thing that you're willing to forgive them, but are you going to punish others if they can't do that? Is that fair?"

Glenn looked at the ground. "If we cast them out it's the same as killing them ourselves."

"I honestly don't have a problem with that," Carol said.

"Then how are we any different from the Governor?"

"Is that a joke," Sasha asked angrily. " _They_ attacked _us_."

"We have an opportunity here. It isn't often anymore that doing the right thing is even an option for us. It's all about survival, and morality takes a distant second to that. We have a chance here to prove that we haven't changed. We're still good people. We haven't become like the Governor, or worse, like one of those shambling dead things. We can show them mercy."

Carol shook her head, but Sasha adopted a resigned look. "You spent more time with them than anybody, so I suppose you're the most qualified to judge them. If it weren't for you we'd be dead in those cells. You're the reason we got out. I guess I can yield to your judgement on this one occasion." Sasha looked into Glenn's eyes, and he met her steady gaze. "But Glenn, what happened before wasn't your fault. You followed a protocol that we all designed and approved together. You didn't do anything wrong. If they betray us again, if you turn out to be wrong about them, then it will be your fault, because we warned you. Are you sure about this?"

Glenn didn't hesitate. "I am."

Carol sighed. "I guess I'm outvoted. I don't approve of this."

"I know," Glenn said. "But this is the right thing to do."

…

Getting Daryl and Michonne inside was a chore, and once they were inside it seemed senseless to go all the way to the infirmary. In the common area outside C block, in view of the bodies of the two men the Governor had gunned down what felt like an eternity ago and had really been less than a day, they laid their friends out. The cuts were the most important thing that needed to be addressed. Daryl and Michonne had both lost too much blood. Beth and Zack took the children into C block, including Meaghan. Meanwhile Dr. Subramanian started cleaning and bandaging the lacerations on Daryl's back while Bob starting cleaning and bandaging some of Michonne's gory wounds. Daryl was unconscious at this point, so he had no reaction to the doctor's ministrations. Michonne on the other hand seemed to be in a great deal of pain and flinched constantly. Glenn felt guilty for witnessing her pain. He knew she must hate for anybody to see her in this position. Rick knelt down in front of her. "I'm so sorry," he said.

"Don't start with that," she said through gritted teeth. "You and I both know that there wasn't anything you could do. He wanted to get in your head. Don't give him what he wants."

Rick nodded at her and then looked over at Daryl. The pain and fear written all over his face was killing Glenn. Rick was overwhelmed with guilt, and he wasn't alone. Glenn blamed himself for Hershel's death. He knew there wasn't anything he could have done, but that didn't stop him from feeling that he should have found a way to save his baby's grandfather. Glenn saw sorrow on his wife's face, but not blame. He was grateful for her support even though he didn't feel he deserved it. Glenn saw guilt all over Tara and Alisha's face too. Sasha was staring at the bodies of the two men. Glenn couldn't read her expression. "We have to do something," she said.

"What?" Tyreese seemed confused. Glenn was as well.

"The bodies. The children. Everybody else. We have to bury them," Sasha said.

"Sooner rather than later," Carol agreed. Carol was staring at Daryl, but even when preoccupied Glenn knew she was receptive to good logic. "I'll help you," she said.

"No," Sasha said. "You stay here." Everybody knew how much Daryl meant Carol, and Glenn thought it was a good idea to encourage her to stay here for when he woke up.

"We can handle it," Karen said. "You, me and Tyreese."

"I'll help too," Alisha said. "I know you might not want my help, but we owe you for what we put you through and this is one of the only ways we can pay you back before we leave."

Glenn almost interjected then with the offer to stay, but a look from Sasha let him know that this was not the time. Everybody's wounds were still too raw, and odds were that at least one person would flip out. It was best to postpone that. "I'll go with you," Tara told her girlfriend.

"No," Sasha said. "You should stay here in case your niece needs you. We'll accept your help though Alisha." Sasha and Karen started to drag out one of the bodies, and Alisha rushed forward to help Tyreese. Tara went into C block to be with Meaghan. Glenn wondered if maybe he and Maggie should go as well. It was probably best not to crowd Daryl and Michonne.

Glenn was still pondering this when Daryl woke up. He groaned, and Rick rushed over to his lover. Rick knelt down next to Daryl, who was turned on his side so that the doctor could clean out his wounds. Rick positioned himself so that Daryl had a clear view of him. "Hey."

Daryl blinked. "Rick?"

"Yeah, it's me. You're safe now."

"Michonne?"

"I'm over here," Michonne said. "I'm fine." Glenn was impressed with her casual lie.

"Where's the Governor?" Daryl sounded terrible. He was wheezing, and his voice was incredibly weak on top of that. Glenn knew every word was hard for him.

"He's dead," Maggie said. "He's gone for good this time."

"That's good." Daryl groaned again. "My arms…"

The wire was still in there. Those cuts had been sewn closed, so they had taken a lower priority than the ones that were still leaking blood. "We're going to treat your arms as soon as we're finished with your cuts," Dr. Subramanian promised. "We just need a little more time."

"Where're Judy and Carl?"

"They're safe," Rick promised. "They're in the other room, but they're fine."

"That's good. They don't need to see this," Daryl said.

Bob was finishing up with Michonne. "Are there any injuries I can't see?"

Carol picked up on Michonne's hesitation first. "I'll take care of it." Carol walked up to Bob and held her hand out for his medical bag. "You can help Dr. S. He'll probably need it."

Michonne let Carol help her to her feet. "Thank you," she whispered.

When Michonne and Carol were gone Glenn's sense that he was intruding grew that much stronger. The doctor was stitching closed the bullet hole in Daryl's leg, and Bob walked over to Glenn and Maggie. "Do either of you need me to take a look at you?"

Glenn shook his head. "It's not our blood."

Bob gave Glenn an understanding look, full of sorrow. "You saved us. You know that?"

Glenn didn't really want to have this conversation right now. "Bob…"

Glenn didn't have to figure out how to end that sentence, because Dr. Subramanian called Bob over. "We should do both arms at the same time. The pain will be incredible, and there's no need for it to last twice as long as it has to. We'll reopen the wounds and then remove the wire before sanitizing and stitching the laceration closed again." Dr. Subramanian looked nervous.

"Are you okay," Glenn asked.

"I've never really seen anything like this before. It's just so… horrible."

"Can you give him anything for the pain," Rick asked.

"Not with his blood pressure this low," the doctor said. "I'm sorry."

"We should give him something to bite down on so he doesn't bite his tongue." Bob said.

Dr. Subramanian pulled off his belt and cut off a piece of leather. He told Bob to hand his over as well to use as tourniquets. Daryl bit down on the piece of leather and squeezed his eyes shut tight. Bob and the doctor tightened the belts onto Daryl's arms. Glenn realized he really didn't want to watch this, but he felt like it would be cowardly to flee. "When I was in the army I had to dig out a lot of shrapnel," Bob said. "Sometimes there's a lot of involuntary jerking."

"I'll hold him down," Rick said.

Glenn looked at Maggie. Her eyes were wide with horror. Glenn wondered if maybe he should get her out of here before the real gore began. It was too late to do so however, because Bob and the doctor had already started cutting the thread used to sew the wounds shut with their small surgical scissors. Daryl's features were twisted with pain, and Rick was holding tight onto his shoulders. Glenn gripped Maggie's hand. As soon as the wounds were open again the two medical professionals started to remove the wire. That was when all hell broke loose. The pain must have been extreme. Daryl jerked every which way, trying to escape the sensation of sharp barbs of wire being pulled across his raw desecrated flesh. Rick pushed down on his torso, but he still managed to move quite a bit. Glenn moved forward to help. "Get his legs," Bob ordered.

Glenn held down Daryl's knees. He heard the uneven accelerated breathing coming from his friend. He hated this. In this position Glenn had a perfect view of Dr. Subramanian gently, and excruciatingly slowly, pulling out the wire. "Shit," the doctor said. "This isn't good."

"What is it?" Rick sounded panicked.

"It's stuck."

"Does that mean you can't get it out," Glenn asked.

"No, I can. But…"

"Just do what you have to," Rick said. "Please."

The doctor nodded. Before Glenn could even process what was happening the doctor had yanked the wire from Daryl's arm. At the same time that drops of blood were splattered all over all of them Glenn heard an agonized scream muffled by the fact that Daryl was biting down on the strip of leather, but still excruciatingly audible. Glenn closed his eyes. He didn't want to be here right now. He didn't want to be in this situation. He wanted to be in the guard tower with Maggie, watching the tree branches dance in the breeze. He wanted to be in the fields with Rick and Hershel, appreciating the peaceful stillness of the earth. He wanted to be in C block with Daryl and Beth, taking part in their banter. He wanted to be planning a run with Carol and Sasha while they could hear children playing in the background. He wanted to play baseball with Carl, Patrick and Zack. He wasn't though. He was holding down his dear friend so that an incredibly painful procedure could be performed on him. After some time had passed, not very long, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Glenn. Glenn, you can get up now. Glenn, they're going to take Daryl into C block." Glenn got to his feet and met Maggie's eyes. She had a wet rag in her hand, and she raised it to his face. "It's okay baby." Maggie wiped blood off his face. "It'll be okay."

Glenn didn't think she really believed that, but he appreciated her saying it. He walked over to the kitchenette and grabbed another rag before wetting it. He turned back to her and began to return the favor. They got the blood off of each other as best they could. "Maggie…"

He didn't know how to finish. It was alright though, because she seemed to understand what he meant even without words. Maggie put a hand on either side of Glenn's face and rested her forehead against his. "He wouldn't want us to be sad. He would want us to honor him by taking care of each other and of Beth." Glenn could hear Maggie's pain saturating every part of her voice. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Glenn felt hot tears fall from Maggie's eyes onto his face. "We're smaller now, our family is, but we'll just love each other more."

Maggie was trying so hard to make it okay, just like she'd told him on her front porch so long ago, and Glenn wanted to sob heavily for her efforts. "We will. All of us," Glenn promised.

…

Nobody wanted to leave C block that night. When Sasha, Tyreese, Karen and Alisha returned they had haunted looks in their eyes. Glenn couldn't get the image of the dead children out of his head after even a short time looking at them, so he could only imagine what actually handling the bodies must have been like. Tara was holding her niece in her arms when they returned and locked eyes with Alisha. Glenn knew that now was the time. "I need to talk to both of you," he said. "Beth can watch Meaghan." Tara seemed loathe to put the child down, but she followed Glenn into the hall with Alisha. They looked scared. Glenn empathized with them.

"You want us gone right? We won't put up a fight," Alisha said.

Glenn shook his head. "No, you can stay."

Tara and Alisha were so shocked that at first they couldn't say anything. Tara looked absolutely baffled. "What?" Her question seemed like an involuntary response to the confusion.

"If you want to stay with us, be one of us, you can."

"Why," Alisha asked.

Glenn was tired. He was beyond tired. He didn't have the strength for this. "I'm not going to send you out there. I can't. That's not the kind of person I want to be. That's not the kind of person I'm going to raise my child to be. It would be a dishonor to Hershel's memory to be that kind of person. I can only hope that this isn't a mistake, that you won't hurt us," he said.

"We won't," Tara said softly. "We swear it."

Glenn nodded. "Pick out a cell. I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."

Glenn went back into the cellblock. Daryl was lying down on the bottom bunk in Rick's cell while Rick was sitting next to the bunk holding Judith. Beth was in her cell with Luke and Molly while Carol was sitting down on the steps whispering with Lizzie and Mika. The hall was crowded with people who didn't want to leave, but didn't want to lie down. Glenn walked up to Maggie and took her hand. "Let's go to bed," he said. "There's nothing else we can do tonight."

Maggie nodded. She followed her husband into their cell. They got into bed together, and he wrapped his arms around her. Glenn held Maggie until her breathing slowed and he knew she was asleep. Only then did he allow himself to get any rest. Glenn slipped into an unconscious state, where his mind was plagued by half-remembered dreams of a man in a long black coat cutting the links in a chain. The man was wet and dusty. He painted the prison with grotesque patterns using their blood. Glenn's dreams were so distressing that he woke up at sunrise, unable to stay asleep for even one more moment. He felt Maggie's warm body in his arms and contemplated staying there all morning so as not to disturb her. Glenn's restlessness overwhelmed him however, and he carefully got out of bed. Once on his feet Glenn watched Maggie for a few moments. She looked so peaceful like this. She wouldn't look so peaceful once she woke up and remembered her father was dead. Glenn hated himself for that. Glenn walked out into the hall and was surprised to see Carol sitting with her back to the wall, watching the cells and keeping vigil. She looked surprised to see him too. "You're up early," she said.

Glenn raised an eyebrow at her and she gave him a gentle smile in response. Even after everything it was still a comfort to be reminded they all had each other. "Keeping watch?"

Carol nodded. "Rick's in the guard tower and Sasha is patrolling the tombs."

"We never even considered someone coming in through there," Glenn said.

"We never did," Carol agreed. "We paid the price for that."

"What are we going to do now?" Glenn couldn't keep the desperation out of his voice.

"You having doubts?"

They were alone. That made Glenn feel free to say it. "Maybe I am."

"Well you have to stop. We don't get to have doubts. You think it's over, and that you're safe now. You think that means you can rest and have doubts. But it's never over, and we are never safe." Carol pointed at Beth's cell. Through a crack in the curtains Glenn could see Luke and Molly hugging each other as they slept on the top bunk, and he could see Beth's still figure as she slept off a night of crying. "We have to take care of them. We can never let our guard down again. It's going to be harder now than it ever was before. We won't get to take breaks or have dinner parties. We'll be up early every morning, and we'll go to sleep late every night."

Glenn nodded. "We'll have to clear the fences, tend the fields, go on runs… We don't have enough people anymore. We'll have to do everything ourselves. The kids won't be able to help with much. Maggie's pregnancy will put her out of commission eventually."

Carol nodded. "It never ends."

Glenn was tempted to ask what the point was. They worked so hard. How could this be their reward? How could all of their effort land them here? But when he looked at his wife he knew he couldn't ask that question. He couldn't even think it. He was a father now, and that meant his needs and his feelings didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was keeping his family, his entire family, safe. All that mattered was creating a good life for the baby that would be here soon. He looked at Carol and felt as though she'd read his mind. "Are you okay?"

Carol nodded. "I don't have a choice."

"Is Michonne-"

"I'm not going to talk about Michonne," Carol said. "It's her business."

"Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I know."

Glenn sighed and sat down next to Carol. "Get some sleep. I'll take watch."

Carol hesitated and then nodded. They would need all of their strength for the rough times ahead. He watched her head into her cell, where it seemed Lizzie and Mika were also sleeping now. The cells were cramped. Everyone was in C block now it seemed. Glenn was glad for this, despite the inconvenience. It was easier to protect them when they were all together.


	10. Epilogue

Schedules were drawn up every day. Each of them had a list of tasks in the morning that seemed impossibly long, but by the time they went to bed each night every single one of those tasks were completed. Carol did most of the organizing. Watch duties, once an annoying obligation or a chance to fool around, were now rare opportunities to rest, and there was no fooling around as only one person could be spared at a time. Glenn was up at the crack of dawn every morning and down at the fences to spear walkers through the head. After lunch he was either working in the fields, the kitchen or the tombs. They hadn't been able to spare the manpower for a run yet. Daryl was still too weak to do much of anything, and while Michonne had recovered enough to do her share of the work she was in no condition to be going outside the fences any time soon. Supplies were getting low. That was all Glenn could think about as he stabbed walker after walker in the head. Soon there wouldn't be enough food to feed the children or his pregnant wife. Even massacring walkers wasn't enough of an outlet for his frustration.

"Glenn."

Glenn turned around and saw Maggie. "Hey. I thought you were helping Carol."

"I was. Some of the food in the pantry is contaminated."

Glenn swore. He tightened his grip on his sharpened pipe. "How much is left?"

"If we stretch we're good for three days."

"After that?"

"We'll have nothing." Glenn felt stupid for even asking. What other answer could she have given? They were three days from starvation, an undignified death if ever there was one.

Glenn nodded. "We have to go on a run," he whispered.

"Carol was thinking you, me and Michonne."

"Michonne's in no condition-"

"Daryl's even worse. Nobody else can be spared," Maggie said.

"It doesn't feel right."

"It isn't right," Maggie agreed. "But she insists she's fine and she's already gassing up the car. I don't think we really have a say in the matter. Three people is too few as it is, and we need the food. She knows it. We know it. I hate this as much as you do. So does Carol."

Glenn pulled Maggie into a hug. "I know. This sucks." He sighed. "Let's go."

Glenn and Maggie walked hand in hand up to where the cars were kept. Michonne had everything ready by the time they got there. Glenn wordlessly got into the passenger seat while Maggie climbed into the back. Michonne didn't seem interested in talking as she drove up to the gates, so Glenn kept his mouth shut. In fact the entire drive was silent. This drive was a rare opportunity for Glenn to rest, but he was too keyed up to appreciate it. He stared out the window and watched the trees go by. That was when he saw it. A lone figure was standing a little ways ahead on the road, waving his arms. "Oh my God," Glenn said. He squinted at the figure, trying to discern more information. He was black, skinny, young. Glenn couldn't see much else yet.

"Slow down," Maggie said.

"Why?" Michonne seemed honestly puzzled.

"We have to stop," Maggie said.

"You've got to be kidding," Michonne said. "We're in a bit of a hurry."

"Stop the car," Maggie said.

"Every place near here has been cleaned out," Michonne said. "We have a long ways to go and a lot of places to check. We don't have time to play riddle me this with a random-"

"Stop the car Michonne," Glenn said. "We're stopping."

Michonne slammed on the breaks, furious. The young man started running towards the car, but Glenn was already out and holding up his hand. "Please man! You've got to help me!"

"That's far enough," Glenn insisted. "Who are you?"

"My name's Noah. Please, do you have any water or food?"

"I have to ask you some questions Noah."

"Ask me whatever you want, but please, let me have some water."

To Glenn's chagrin Maggie got out of the car holding a bottle of water. She tossed it Noah's way. He opened the bottle and eagerly drank. "How many walkers have you killed?"

Noah looked a little confused by Glenn's question. "Twenty or so."

"How many people?"

Noah paled. "I'm not a bad-"

"How many people have you killed," Glenn repeated.

Noah sighed in resignation. "Two."

"Why," Maggie asked.

"They wouldn't let me go. I wasn't the only one either. One of the other wards, that's what they called us even though we were prisoners, she was brought in when they raided a nursing home and took out all the people living there. They spared her because she was young and pretty, but they killed all the others. They took the medicine, supplies, and some vehicles they were working on. The people living there were just trying to protect the residents, but they slaughtered them anyway. She told me about it. One of them tried to rape her. I was right there when he tried it. He didn't think I would do anything. He thought I would just stand by…"

Glenn saw the anguish on Noah's face. "You killed him."

"I had to do it. We both knew they would kill us when they found out, so we made a break for it. We made it, but she got bit. She begged me to end it. I wanted to wait, but she begged me to end it. She said she didn't want to suffer anymore, but I think the real reason was that she didn't want me to wait long enough for them to catch up to me. She begged, so I…"

Glenn looked at Maggie. She nodded. "Do you want to come with us," Glenn asked.

Noah gave Glenn a weary look. "What do I have to do?"

"Well," Glenn said. "We're on a run right now, and we can't spare the fuel to take you back home before we're done. So you'd have to come with us and help us if you can."

"If I go back with you, will I be allowed to leave later?"

"Of course," Maggie said.

"The place I was at before said that too, but you had to work to pay off your debts for any food or medicine you used. No matter how hard you worked and how little you ate the debt only ever got bigger. I have to get to Virginia to find my family. I won't be a prisoner again."

Glenn couldn't help but to chuckle. "Sorry, it's just that we live in a prison. So the whole situation is kind of ironic. I understand that you don't trust us. The choice is yours. I don't think anybody can make it out here alone, but maybe I'm wrong. Do what you think is best."

As Noah considered Glenn turned his story around in his head. A nursing home where the survivors were trying to protect the residents. That sounded awfully familiar. "I'll go with you."

"Noah, this place you were at before, was it in Atlanta?"

"Yeah, Grady Memorial, why?"

Glenn looked at the ground. It wasn't fair. The world was so unfair. You could do the right thing every time and still get screwed over. For a moment Glenn wondered what the point of any of this even was. Then he felt his wife's hand on his shoulder and not only remembered what the point was, but knew he could never ask that question again. "Glenn, are you okay?"

"We better get going. We have a lot of ground to cover."

…

 **Later**

 _Her round stomach was amazing to him. There was a baby growing inside of her, a baby who was made up of pieces of him and pieces of her. He put his ear on the mother's belly and listened for a sound from his child. "I want to tell the baby something. Do you think I can?"_

" _I think you should try." She giggled after that. The idea struck her fancy._

 _He kissed the mother's stomach. "You don't know this yet, but you are a member of one of the best families in the world. Your mother and I love you so much, and we are never ever going to let anything bad happen to you. If something were to happen to us, then your auntie Beth and the rest of the family will take care of you. You're never going to be alone little one."_

 _The mother brushed his hair with her fingers. "I love you."_

 _He kissed her stomach again. "I love you too. We should probably be asleep huh?"_

" _Well your child keeps kicking me."_

" _Why do I get the feeling that whenever our kid does something wrong our baby will be my child, but if the baby does something amazing then our baby will be your child?"_

" _Probably because that's going to happen."_

 _He smiled. That really didn't bother him. "I've been thinking about names."_

" _I thought we decided on the name."_

" _We did," he assured the mother. "It's just that… your father was a father to me as well and one of the greatest men I ever knew. Your family farm is gone, and I hate to think that your name will be lost too. I've been thinking lately… Maybe our baby should be a Greene."_

" _You don't want our baby to have your last name?"_

" _At this point I feel as connected to your name as you do, maybe more connected to it than I am my own. Your name reminds me of the family I still have, not the one that I lost."_

 _The mother kissed him. "Our baby will be a Greene," she said. "Thank you."_

 _With that decided the family went to sleep._


End file.
